Brain simulation

In the field of computational neuroscience, Brain simulation is the concept of creating a functioning computer model of a brain or part of a brain.^[1] Brain simulation projects intend to contribute to a complete understanding of the brain, and eventually also assist the process of treating and diagnosing brain diseases.^[2][3] Simulations utilize mathematical models of biological neurons, such as the hodgkin-huxley model, to simulate the behavior of neurons, or other cells within the brain.

Various simulations from around the world have been fully or partially released as open source software, such as C. elegans,^[4] and the Blue Brain Project Showcase.^[5] In 2013 the Human Brain Project, which has utilized techniques used by the Blue Brain Project and built upon them,^[6] created a Brain Simulation Platform (BSP), an internet-accessible collaborative platform designed for the simulation of brain models.

Brain simulations can be done at varying levels of detail, with more detail requiring significantly higher computation capabilities. Some simulations may only consider the behaviour of areas without modeling individual neurons. Other simulations model the behaviour of individual neurons, the strength of the connections between neurons and how these connections change.^[7] This requires having a map of the target organism neurons and their connections, called a connectome.^[8] Highly detailed simulations may precisely model the electrophysiology of each individual neuron, potentially even their metabolome and proteome, and the state of their protein complexes.^[9]