Section: New Software and Platforms

Event Neural Assembly Simulation

Participants : Bruno Cessac, Sélim Kraria [Inria DREAM] , Theodora Karvouniari, Hassan Nasser, Daniela Pamplona, Thierry Viéville [Inria Mnemosyne Bordeaux] .

With the advent of new Multi-Electrod Arrays (MEA) techniques, the simultaneously recording of the activity of groups of neurons (up to several hundreds) over a dense configuration, supplies today a critical database to unravel the role of specific neural assemblies. Thus, the analysis of spike trains obtained from in vivo or in vitro experimental data, requires suitable statistical models. The Enas software offers new computational methods taking into account time constraints in neural networks (such as memory effects). It also offers several statistical model choices, some of these models already used in this community, and some others developed by us, and allows a quantitative comparison between these models. It also offers a control of finite-size sampling effects inherent to empirical statistics.

Compared to existing software (Pandora ; Sigtool ; Spyke Viewer ; Orbital Spikes ) Enas offers new computational methods taking into account time constraints in neural networks (such as memory effects), based on theoretical methods rooted in statistical physics and applied mathematics. The algorithms used are based on linear programming, nonlinear parameter estimations, statistical methods.

EnaS allows interfaces with existing toolboxes used by this community such as Matlab.

EnaS is developed joinly by the Neuromathcomp, CORTEX/Mnemosyne, and DREAM Inria teams, under CeCILL-C licence, APP logiciel Enas : IDDN.FR.OO1.190004.000.S.P.2014.000.31235. It can be freely downloaded.

It has benefited from the support of an ADT Inria from 2011 to 2013.

The software is freely downloadable at https://enas.inria.fr/#download .

Website: https://enas.inria.fr/