Hi players, we have released the updated Mozak ui fully. We are also working on changes to fix some clarity issues with some of the tools and make it clearer what work needs to be done on a neuron, so look forward to those soon as well. Please let us know if you have any feedback or run into issues! Thank you all for your contributions!

(07/09/21) Are you ready for a huge shift?!? We?ve been hard at work improving the interface of Mozak to make gameplay smoother and to allow for use on mobile devices. During this next month, we invite all players to check out the new interface, give feedback, and get used to it at your leisure. Work completed using the new interface will be counted as normal.

You can give it a try by clicking the ?PLAY MOZAK V2 BETA? button above the scoreboard on any challenge. Drop pictures, comments, and other feedback in the forum so we can work to solve any major issues!

We’ve just posted a challenge that comes from X. William Yang’s lab at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). They have developed a unique way of processing datasets that utilizes MOnonucleotide Repeat Frameshift (MORF). The MORF strategy allows the opporunity to label and reconstruct thousands genetically defined cells per mouse brain for large-scale, unbiased, brain-wide classification. We are joining together and using the power of citizen science to help reconstruct the dendritic morphology of MORF-labeled medium spiny neurons (MSNs). These striatal MSNs are a core component of the basal ganglia circuit, which is critical in the regulation of motor control, behavior, and the brain regions most affected by neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s Disease.

New full-brain neurons often have 10x longer neurite branches. To make everyone’s tracing much quicker, we created a new tool: Magic Tracer. It will attempt to follow and automatically trace the signal from the starting point as far as it can (often to the edge of volume data). The Magic Tracer is best in bright, well-defined areas. Just click on an existing node and the tool will do the rest from there. If you start without clicking on the existing node, the trace will start from the previewed point under the mouse.

We are hoping that long branches will be a breeze with Magic Tracer.

Happy Halloween, Mozak Community! We?ve a gourd-gous challenge for you this fine spooky season. Mozak and Janelia?s MouseLight lab have teamed up to provide the first ever full-brain dataset available for citizen scientists to reconstruct! This is an unprecedented leap forward for neuronal reconstruction and citizen science. As players learn to navigate, discover, and trace, we will use the findings to work toward the ultimate goal of a full-brain reconstruction. These neurons are longer, meaner, and trickier than ever before and will allow us to discover brand new types of neurons!

Gameplay Logistics

This dataset is 100x bigger than the typical one-neuron challenges you?re used to. Navigation has therefore changed and you?ll find that there is no 2D map to explore, only 3D depths. The easiest way to navigate to a specific region is to select an existing node first, which will load the volume around that node. Currently, we still only support tracing of a single neuron, however that will change in the future. It might be trickier this time since there is more signal from other neurons, so keep an eye out! Starting a trace in the middle of nowhere is no longer viable, because it’s not clear whether that trace connects to the neuron we aim to reconstruct, therefore starting at the soma is a must. You?ll likely find that Connect-the-Dots3D is the most useful tool for this type of challenge, but please let us know your thoughts!