Knowledge across networks: how to build a global neuroscience collaboration

Abstract

The International Brain Laboratory (IBL) is a collaboration of ~20 laboratories dedicated to developing a standardized mouse decision-making behavior, coordinating measurements of neural activity across the mouse brain, and utilizing theoretical approaches to formalize the neural computations that support decision-making. In contrast to traditional neuroscientific practice, in which individual laboratories each probe different behaviors and record from a few select brain areas, IBL aims to deliver a high-throughput, high-density approach to behavioral and neural assays. This approach relies on a highly distributed, collaborative network of ~50 researchers—postdocs, graduate students, and scientific staff—who coordinate the intellectual, administrative, and sociological aspects of the project. In this article, we examine this network, extract some lessons learned, and consider how IBL may represent a template for other team-based approaches in neuroscience, and beyond.