NeMoSys: An Approach to Realistic Neural Simulation

Abstract

We describe a software package that allows for efficient simulation of current flow through complex neurons. Each neuron is represented as a binary branched tree structure,where branches are constructed from linear strings of compartments. The program is set up to allow the user to simulate typical electrophysiological experimental protocols.

The modeling is done at the level of currents and voltages in individual compartments of neurons. An implicit scheme of integration which takes advantage of the branched tree structure of the neuron is used to update the voltages and currents in each neuron at each timestep. One of the major computational benefits of this method is that time scales linearly with the number of compartments used to represent the neurons. Furthermore, voltage updates are decoupled from the conductance updates, so arbitrary conductances or synaptic connections can be incorporated easily, efficiently and stably. Nemosys can also be extended to allow simulations of networks of neurons.