Open Source Brain: A Collaborative Resource for Visualizing, Analyzing, Simulating, and Developing Standardized Models of Neurons and Circuits

Publication date: Available online 11 June 2019Source: NeuronAuthor(s): Padraig Gleeson, Matteo Cantarelli, Boris Marin, Adrian Quintana, Matt Earnshaw, Sadra Sadeh, Eugenio Piasini, Justas Birgiolas, Robert C. Cannon, N. Alex Cayco-Gajic, Sharon Crook, Andrew P. Davison, Salvador Dura-Bernal, András Ecker, Michael L. Hines, Giovanni Idili, Frederic Lanore, Stephen D. Larson, William W. Lytton, Amitava MajumdarSummaryComputational models are powerful tools for exploring the properties of complex biological systems. In neuroscience, data-driven models of neural circuits that span multiple scales are increasingly being used to understand brain function in health and disease. But their adoption and reuse has been limited by the specialist knowledge required to evaluate and use them. To address this, we have developed Open Source Brain, a platform for sharing, viewing, analyzing, and simulating standardized models from different brain regions and species. Model structure and parameters can be automatically visualized and their dynamical properties explored through browser-based simulations. Infrastructure and tools for collaborative interaction, development, and testing are also provided. We demonstrate how existing components can be reused by constructing new models of inhibition-stabilized cortical networks that match recent experimental results. These features of Open Source Brain improve the accessibility, transparency, and reproducibility of models and facilitate their reu...
Source: Neuron - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research