Build and evaluate deep-learning models for biological prediction using Python and Jupyter notebooks. Lectures and collaborative exercises develop convolutional networks for classification, regression and image segmentation, with attention to preprocessing, augmentation, class imbalance, cross-validation and overfitting. Later sessions explore learning-rate and training-duration choices, recurrent networks and applications to omics data. Participants interpret model performance and discuss their own research problems. 2026-11-23–2026-11-27, 14:00–20:00 daily, Europe/Berlin (CET, UTC+01:00). O
In Neuroscience and Software
Brian2CUDA: Generating Efficient CUDA Code for Spiking Neural Networks
Denis Alevi · Berlin Institute of Technology (
Thu, Nov 3, 2022 · 15:00 UTC
Graphics processing units (GPUs) are widely available and have been used with great success to accelerate scientific computing in the last decade. These advances, however, are often not available to researchers interested in simulating spiking neural networks, but lacking the technical knowledge to write the necessary low-level code. Writing low-level code is not necessary when using the popular Brian simulator, which provides a framework to generate efficient CPU code from high-level model definitions in Python. Here, we present Brian2CUDA, an open-source software that extends the Brian simul
Cleo: a simulation testbed for bridging model and experiment in mesoscale neuroscience
Kyle Johnsen · Neuromatch 5
Wed, Sep 28, 2022
Recent advances in neuroscience technology enable experiments on exciting new spatial and temporal scales, creating opportunities for novel paradigms such as closed-loop optogenetic control of neural activity on the order of milliseconds. At the same time, computational models are becoming ever more powerful for reproducing behavior and neural activity. The complexities of these advances, however, can make it difficult to reap the benefits of bridging model and experiment, such as accelerating experiment development with in-silico prototyping or validating the output of a simulation against ex
Neural simulations in the Brian ecosystem
Marcel Stimberg · Neuromatch 5
Wed, Sep 28, 2022
The Brian simulator, a simulator for spiking neural networks, started its life in 2007 and has been continuously developed ever since. A complete rewrite in 2014 led to the "brian2" package, which is now built as a code generation framework. This means that users write their code as a Python script, with textual representations of the model equations, and the simulator transparently translates this code into a target language such as C++. In this talk, I will give an overview over recent developments in the Brian ecosystem, showcasing a number of packages that enhance the simulator's capabili
Pynapple: a light-weight python package for neural data analysis - webinar + tutorial
Adrien Peyrache and Guillaume Viejo · McGill University, Canada
Wed, Jun 29, 2022 · 15:00 UTC
In systems neuroscience, datasets are multimodal and include data-streams of various origins: multichannel electrophysiology, 1- or 2-p calcium imaging, behavior, etc. Often, the exact nature of data streams are unique to each lab, if not each project. Analyzing these datasets in an efficient and open way is crucial for collaboration and reproducibility. In this combined webinar and tutorial, Adrien Peyrache and Guillaume Viejo will present Pynapple, a Python-based data analysis pipeline for systems neuroscience. Designed for flexibility and versatility, Pynapple allows users to perform cross-
Pynapple: a light-weight python package for neural data analysis - webinar + tutorial
Adrien Peyrache and Guillaume Viejo · McGill University, Canada
Tue, Jun 28, 2022 · 15:00 UTC
In systems neuroscience, datasets are multimodal and include data-streams of various origins: multichannel electrophysiology, 1- or 2-p calcium imaging, behavior, etc. Often, the exact nature of data streams are unique to each lab, if not each project. Analyzing these datasets in an efficient and open way is crucial for collaboration and reproducibility. In this combined webinar and tutorial, Adrien Peyrache and Guillaume Viejo will present Pynapple, a Python-based data analysis pipeline for systems neuroscience. Designed for flexibility and versatility, Pynapple allows users to perform cross-
Fundamentals of PyTorch: Building a Model Step-by-Step
Daniel Voigt Godoy · Berlin, Germany
Fri, Oct 1, 2021 · 14:00 UTC
In this workshop you'll learn the fundamentals of PyTorch using an incremental, from-first-principles approach. We'll start with tensors, autograd, and the dynamic computation graph, and then move on to developing and training a simple model using PyTorch's model classes, datasets, data loaders, optimizers, and more. You should be comfortable using Python, Jupyter notebooks, Google Colab, Numpy and, preferably, object oriented programming.
Autopilot v0.4.0 - Distributing development of a distributed experimental framework
Jonny Saunders · University of Oregon
Wed, Sep 29, 2021 · 07:00 UTC
Autopilot is a Python framework for performing complex behavioral neuroscience experiments by coordinating a swarm of Raspberry Pis. It was designed to not only give researchers a tool that allows them to perform the hardware-intensive experiments necessary for the next generation of naturalistic neuroscientific observation, but also to make it easier for scientists to be good stewards of the human knowledge project. Specifically, we designed Autopilot as a framework that lets its users contribute their technical expertise to a cumulative library of hardware interfaces and experimental designs
Much development has been directed toward improving the performance and automation of spike sorting. This continuous development, while essential, has contributed to an over-saturation of new, incompatible tools that hinders rigorous benchmarking and complicates reproducible analysis. To address these limitations, we developed SpikeInterface, a Python framework designed to unify preexisting spike sorting technologies into a single codebase and to facilitate straightforward comparison and adoption of different approaches. With a few lines of code, researchers can reproducibly run, compare, and
BrainGlobe: a Python ecosystem for computational (neuro)anatomy
Adam Tyson · Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, University College London.
Fri, May 14, 2021 · 07:00 UTC
Neuroscientists routinely perform experiments aimed at recording or manipulating neural activity, uncovering physiological processes underlying brain function or elucidating aspects of brain anatomy. Understanding how the brain generates behaviour ultimately depends on merging the results of these experiments into a unified picture of brain anatomy and function. We present BrainGlobe, a new initiative aimed at developing common Python tools for computational neuroanatomy. These include cellfinder for fast, accurate cell detection in whole-brain microscopy images, brainreg for aligning images t
Interactive brain atlas curation and enhancement with Houdini and Python
Davide Bella, Alessandro Foni, Julian Budd, Judit Planas, Henry Markram, Armando Romani · FENS Forum 2024
Brain atlases like the Allen Mouse Brain Common Coordinate Framework (CCFv3) are essential tools to guide the integration of different sources of neuroscience data. In this study, we introduce a novel method for curating brain atlas regions that leverages the strength of Houdini and Python software. This approach combines industry-standard graphic libraries with a dynamic user interface. Anatomists can interactively visualise, slice, annotate and analyse brain regions with high reproducibility. In Houdini, readability and traceability are ensured by simultaneously displaying results as a 3D ob