Section: New Software and Platforms

Virtual Retina: A biological retina model with contrast gain control for large scale simulations

Keywords: Neurosciences - Simulation - Biology - Health

Scientific Description

The Virtual Retina software allows large-scale simulations of biologically-plausible retinas, with customizable parameters. Virtual Retina has been shown to reproduce a wide range of experimental data from salamander, cat and primate retinas [14], and has been used in several theoretical studies  [65], [66], [67], [41], [17]. It has recently been shown to predict spikes in a mouse retina more accurately than linear-nonlinear (LN) models  [79]. The underlying model includes a non-separable spatio-temporal linear model of filtering in the Outer Plexiform Layer, a shunting feedback at the level of bipolar cells, and a spike generation process using noisy leaky integrate-and-fire neurons to model RGCs. All parameters for the different stages of the model are customizable so that the visual field can be paved with different RGC types.

Functional Description.

Virtual Retina is a simulation software that allows large-scale simulations of biologically-plausible retinas.

• Participants: Bruno Cessac, Maria-Jose Escobar, Pierre Kornprobst, Selim Kraria, Daniela Pamplona, Selma Souihel, Thierry Vieville and Adrien Wohrer.

• Contact: Pierre Kornprobst

• URL: https://enas.inria.fr/virtual-retina.html