Software:Features

From NEST

General

• Python based user interface (PyNEST)
• Built-in simulation language interpreter (SLI)
• Multi-threading to use multi-processor machines efficiently
• MPI-parallelism to use computer clusters and super computers

Neuron models

• Integrate and fire (IAF) neuron models with current based synapses (delta-, exponential- and alpha-function shaped)
• Integrate and fire neuron models with conductance-based synapses
• Adaptive-exponential integrate and fire neuron model (AdEx) (Brette & Gerstner, 2005) - the standard in the FACETS EU project ([1])
• MAT2 neuron model (Kobayashi et al. 2009)
• Hodgkin-Huxley type models with one compartment
• Neuron models with few compartments

Synapse models

• Static synapses
• Spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP)
• Short-term plasticity (Tsodyks et al. 2000)
• Neuromodulatory synapses using dopamine

Network models

• Topology Module for creating complex networks (Topology Module User Manual (PDF))

Interoperability

• Interface to the Multi Simulator Coordinator MUSIC
• Backend for the simulator-independent modeling tool PyNN

Accuracy

• Each neuron model is assigned an appropriate solver
• Exact Integration is used for suitable neuron models
• By default spikes are restricted to the grid spanned by the computation time step
• For some neuron models spike interaction in continuous time is available

Verification

• After installation NEST can be verified by an automatic testsuite

Supported platforms

• Linux
• Mac OS X (10.3)
• Windows (under CygWin)
• HP Tru64 Unix
• Sun Solaris
• IBM AIX
• SGI Altix
• IBM BlueGene/P/L