2009.14283
Go with the FLOW: Visualizing spatiotemporal dynamics in optical widefield calcium imaging
Nathaniel J. Linden, Dennis R. Tabuena, Nicholas A. Steinmetz, William J. Moody, Steven L. Brunton, Bingni W. Brunton
correcthigh confidence
- Category
- Not specified
- Journal tier
- Specialist/Solid
- Processed
- Sep 28, 2025, 12:55 AM
- arXiv Links
- Abstract ↗PDF ↗
Audit review
The candidate solution reproduces the paper’s FLOW portrait pipeline: compute forward/backward FTLE via flow maps, time-average within an analysis window, percentile-threshold the mean FTLE (85–95%), then apply the exact morphological sequence close → thin → skel (n=4) → diag → spur → close and overlay forward (repelling) and backward (attracting) ridges. Minor deviations (e.g., specifying thin with n=4 and not explicitly zero-clipping negative FTLE in backward time) do not change the substance, which matches the Methods and narrative justification in the paper. The paper’s assumptions and limitations (e.g., non-conservation in neural flows) are acknowledged in the Discussion.
Referee report (LaTeX)
\textbf{Recommendation:} minor revisions
\textbf{Journal Tier:} specialist/solid
\textbf{Justification:}
A practical and well-motivated visualization method is presented, grounded in FTLE/LCS theory and tailored to mesoscale neural imaging. The methodological pipeline is clearly described, reproducible, and its limitations are candidly discussed. Minor clarifications on parameter defaults (e.g., morphological iteration counts) and the handling of negative backward-time FTLE would improve clarity and reproducibility.