A Density-Driven Method for the Placement of Biological Cells Over Two-Dimensional Manifolds

Nicolas P. Rougier (1)

1 Mnemosyne - Mnemonic Synergy

We introduce a graphical method originating from the computer graphics domain that is used for the arbitrary placement of cells over a two-dimensional manifold. Using a bitmap image whose luminance provides cell density, this method guarantees a discrete distribution of the positions of the cells respecting the local density. This method scales to any number of cells, allows one to specify arbitrary enclosing shapes and provides a scalable and versatile alternative to the more classical assumption of a uniform spatial distribution. The method is illustrated on a discrete homogeneous neural field, on the distribution of cones and rods in the retina and on the neural density of a flattened piece of cortex.

Mots clés: Stippling; Voronoi; topology; Topography; Cells; Neurons; Spatial computation; Connectivity; Neural networks

Domaines: Neurosciences; Synthèse d'image et réalité virtuelle [cs.GR]

Nicolas P. Rougier. A Density-Driven Method for the Placement of Biological Cells Over Two-Dimensional Manifolds. Frontiers in Neuroinformatics, 2018, 12, ⟨10.3389/fninf.2018.00012⟩. ⟨hal-01617732v2⟩