This neural simulation software is useful for creating topographic maps and is designed for general purposes.
Topographica is an innovative software package that caters to researchers and scientists who are engaged in the neurosciences. Developed by the Neural Networks Research Group at the University of Texas at Austin and the Institute for Adaptive and Neural Computation at the University of Edinburgh, this application is funded by the NIMH Human Brain Project. The project's ultimate goal is to help researchers understand the functioning of the brain's topographic maps which are responsible for dealing with sensory and motor systems.
Topographica functions as an excellent complement to existing low-level neuron simulators such as Genesis and Neuron. These simulators are specifically designed to mimic the internal behavior of neurons and small networks of neurons. In contrast, Topographica deals with large-scale structure and function that is only visible when many thousands of neurons are connected into topographic maps containing millions of interconnections.
A number of important phenomena for in-depth research can only be studied by using such large networks. A few examples of this include the two-dimensional organization of visual orientation and motion direction maps, and object segmentation and grouping processes.
Topographica's fundamental unit is a sheet of neurons, rather than a neuron or a part of a neuron. For the most part, sheets can be made at a high level consisting of abstract firing-rate or integrate-and-fire neurons, which makes it practical to use in many simulations. Additionally, it can easily be extended using a Sheet that interfaces to more detailed neuron models in other simulators when validation or specific phenomena requires.
Topographica has made it easy to determine the level of complexity and detail that's appropriate for a particular use case. The application provides flexibility in determining the amount of computing power available, the biological data available for validation, and the phenomena that are of particular interest to the researcher. With all of its features and capabilities, Topographica is highly recommended for anyone who wants to engage in computational modeling of neural maps.
Topographica functions as an excellent complement to existing low-level neuron simulators such as Genesis and Neuron. These simulators are specifically designed to mimic the internal behavior of neurons and small networks of neurons. In contrast, Topographica deals with large-scale structure and function that is only visible when many thousands of neurons are connected into topographic maps containing millions of interconnections.
A number of important phenomena for in-depth research can only be studied by using such large networks. A few examples of this include the two-dimensional organization of visual orientation and motion direction maps, and object segmentation and grouping processes.
Topographica's fundamental unit is a sheet of neurons, rather than a neuron or a part of a neuron. For the most part, sheets can be made at a high level consisting of abstract firing-rate or integrate-and-fire neurons, which makes it practical to use in many simulations. Additionally, it can easily be extended using a Sheet that interfaces to more detailed neuron models in other simulators when validation or specific phenomena requires.
Topographica has made it easy to determine the level of complexity and detail that's appropriate for a particular use case. The application provides flexibility in determining the amount of computing power available, the biological data available for validation, and the phenomena that are of particular interest to the researcher. With all of its features and capabilities, Topographica is highly recommended for anyone who wants to engage in computational modeling of neural maps.
What's New
Version 0.9.6: N/A