Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 A tour of the NEURON simulation environment
- 2 The modeling perspective
- 3 Expressing conceptual models in mathematical terms
- 4 Essentials of numerical methods for neural modeling
- 5 Representing neurons with a digital computer
- 6 How to build and use models of individual cells
- 7 How to control simulations
- 8 How to initialize simulations
- 9 How to expand NEURON's library of mechanisms
- 10 Synaptic transmission and artificial spiking cells
- 11 Modeling networks
- 12 hoc, NEURON's interpreter
- 13 Object-oriented programming
- 14 How to modify NEURON itself
- Appendix A1 Mathematical analysis of IntFire4
- Appendix A2 NEURON's built-in editor
- Epilogue
- Index
9 - How to expand NEURON's library of mechanisms
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 September 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 A tour of the NEURON simulation environment
- 2 The modeling perspective
- 3 Expressing conceptual models in mathematical terms
- 4 Essentials of numerical methods for neural modeling
- 5 Representing neurons with a digital computer
- 6 How to build and use models of individual cells
- 7 How to control simulations
- 8 How to initialize simulations
- 9 How to expand NEURON's library of mechanisms
- 10 Synaptic transmission and artificial spiking cells
- 11 Modeling networks
- 12 hoc, NEURON's interpreter
- 13 Object-oriented programming
- 14 How to modify NEURON itself
- Appendix A1 Mathematical analysis of IntFire4
- Appendix A2 NEURON's built-in editor
- Epilogue
- Index
Summary
Now, one of the peculiar characteristics of the savage in his domestic hours, is his wonderful patience of industry. An ancient Hawaiian war-club or spear-paddle, in its full multiplicity and elaboration of carving, is as great a trophy of human perseverance as a Latin lexicon. For, with but a bit of broken sea-shell or a shark's tooth, that miraculous intricacy of wooden network has been achieved; and it has cost steady years of steady application.
Neuronal function involves the interaction of electrical and chemical signals that are distributed in time and space. The mechanisms that generate these signals and regulate their interactions are marked by a wide diversity of properties, differing across neuronal cell class, developmental stage, and species (e.g. Chapter 7 in (Johnston and Wu 1995); also see (McCormick 1998)). To be useful in research, a simulation environment must provide a flexible and powerful means for incorporating new biophysical mechanisms in models. It must also help the user remain focused on the model instead of programming.
Such a means is provided to NEURON by NMODL, a high level language that was originally implemented for NEURON by Michael Hines and later extended by him and Upinder Bhalla to generate code suitable for linking with GENESIS (Wilson and Bower 1989).
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- Chapter
- Information
- The NEURON Book , pp. 207 - 264Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006