A 3D User Interface for Visualizing Neuron Location in Invertebrate Ganglia

Invertebrate nervous systems serve as important models for neuroscience research because they are comprised of relatively small numbers of individually identified neurons. There is no universal means of documenting locations of individual neurons that allows variability between specimens and can be generalized to different species. We present a new technique for visualizing and documenting neuron location. First, we describe a 3D user interface that allows neuroscientists to directly mark neuron locations on a 3D deformable model. A new mapping scheme is proposed that specifies the location of a neuron in a common coordinate system that accommodates the individual variability in size and shape of ganglia.