Imagine you have a beloved vintage car that you’ve been driving for decades. While it’s served you well, it’s time for modernization. That’s exactly what scientists have done with the NEURON Simulator for computational neuroscience. They recognized the need for a standardized platform that can handle complex biological modeling with efficiency and reproducibility. After years of development, they have successfully modernized NEURON, making it more sustainable, portable and high-performing. It’s like upgrading your vintage car to a sleek electric vehicle! With continuous integration, improved build systems, and better documentation, NEURON now offers a more user-friendly experience. They’ve enhanced its ability to run smoothly on different hardware platforms by using a new source-to-source compiler and simulation engine. The revamp also includes faster reaction-diffusion simulations through just-in-time compilation. These efforts have attracted more developers, expanded the range of computer architectures supported, and improved overall performance for biophysical models. If you’re curious about the details of this innovative upgrade, check out the research article!
The need for reproducible, credible, multiscale biological modeling has led to the development of standardized simulation platforms, such as the widely-used NEURON environment for computational neuroscience. Developing and maintaining NEURON over several decades has required attention to the competing needs of backwards compatibility, evolving computer architectures, the addition of new scales and physical processes, accessibility to new users, and efficiency and flexibility for specialists. In order to meet these challenges, we have now substantially modernized NEURON, providing continuous integration, an improved build system and release workflow, and better documentation. With the help of a new source-to-source compiler of the NMODL domain-specific language we have enhanced NEURON’s ability to run efficiently, via the CoreNEURON simulation engine, on a variety of hardware platforms, including GPUs. Through the implementation of an optimized in-memory transfer mechanism this performance optimized backend is made easily accessible to users, providing training and model-development paths from laptop to workstation to supercomputer and cloud platform. Similarly, we have been able to accelerate NEURON’s reaction-diffusion simulation performance through the use of just-in-time compilation. We show that these efforts have led to a growing developer base, a simpler and more robust software distribution, a wider range of supported computer architectures, a better integration of NEURON with other scientific workflows, and substantially improved performance for the simulation of biophysical and biochemical models.
Dr. David Lowemann, M.Sc, Ph.D., is a co-founder of the Institute for the Future of Human Potential, where he leads the charge in pioneering Self-Enhancement Science for the Success of Society. With a keen interest in exploring the untapped potential of the human mind, Dr. Lowemann has dedicated his career to pushing the boundaries of human capabilities and understanding.
Armed with a Master of Science degree and a Ph.D. in his field, Dr. Lowemann has consistently been at the forefront of research and innovation, delving into ways to optimize human performance, cognition, and overall well-being. His work at the Institute revolves around a profound commitment to harnessing cutting-edge science and technology to help individuals lead more fulfilling and intelligent lives.
Dr. Lowemann’s influence extends to the educational platform BetterSmarter.me, where he shares his insights, findings, and personal development strategies with a broader audience. His ongoing mission is shaping the way we perceive and leverage the vast capacities of the human mind, offering invaluable contributions to society’s overall success and collective well-being.