NEST
NEST is a simulator for spiking neural network models that focus on the dynamics, size and structure of neural systems rather than on the exact morphology of individual neurons.
The Neural Simulation Technology (NEST) Initiative was founded in 2001 with the goal to collaborate in the development of simulation methods for biologically realistic neuronal networks meeting the demands of modern neuroscience.
The main goals of the collaboration are:
- Development of new simulation methods and algorithms.
- Development of new analysis and visualization tools.
- Collection of information and resources related to neural simulations.
In particular, we are actively involved in the development of efficient parallelization methods and integration techniques, as e.g. the efficient incorporation of precise spike times in globally time-driven simulations. It is an explicit goal of the NEST Initiative to share its results with the scientific community.
The Human Brain Project (HBP) Facility Hub for NEST is also available to the scientific community! The Hub, hosted by the Jülich Research Centre, offers an up-to-date simulation engine on the level of neurons and synapses provided via Jupyter notebooks on EBRAINS with connection to High Performance Computing. For more information on the NEST Facility Hub, click here (see the list of competence centres).