NEST

NEST is a simulator for spiking neuronal networks. A well tested and efficient tool, NEST works on your laptop and also on the world’s largest supercomputers to study behaviour of large networks of neurons.

542
mentions
119
contributors

Cite this software

What NEST can do for you

NEST: A scalable spiking neural network simulator

NEST is used in computational neuroscience to model and study behavior of large networks of neurons. The models describe single neuron and synapse behavior and their connections. Different mechanisms of plasticity can be used to investigate artificial learning and help to shed light on the fundamental principles of how the brain works.

NEST offers convenient and efficient commands to define and connect large networks, ranging from algorithmically determined connections to data-driven connectivity. Create connections between neurons using numerous synapse models from STDP to gap junctions.

Features

  • Extensive model catalog: NEST offers numerous state-of-the art neuron and synapse models. Textbook standards like integrate-and-fire and Hodgkin-Huxley type models are available alongside high quality implementations of models published by the neuroscience community. We also offer many examples that showcase how to use them!
  • Fast-prototyping: NESTML provides a framework to create models without the use of C++, with a flexible processing toolchain, written in Python.
  • Scalable: NEST works on your laptop and also on the world’s largest supercomputers.
  • Efficient: NEST makes the best use of your multi-core computer or compute cluster. NEST can seamlessly scale to your needs.
  • Well-tested: The simulator is developed and continuously improved by the NEST community. NEST developers are using continuous-integration based workflows in order to maintain high code quality standards for correct and reproducible simulations.
  • Community-driven: NEST has fostered a large community of experienced developers and amazing users, who actively contribute to the project. Our community extends to related projects, like the teaching tool NEST Desktop, cross-simulator languages like PyNN and neural activity analysis tools like Elephant.

Visualization of NEST.

Logo of NEST
Keywords
Programming languages
  • C++ 69%
  • Python 28%
  • CMake 2%
  • Shell 1%
License
  • GPL-2.0-or-later
</>Source code

Participating organisations

Forschungszentrum Jülich
Norwegian University of Life Sciences
NEST Initiative

Mentions

Contributors

DT
Dennis Terhorst
Software Development Coordinator
Forschungszentrum Jülich
Hans Ekkehard Plesser
Hans Ekkehard Plesser
President, The NEST Initiative
Norwegian University of Life Sciences
AS
Ankur Sinha
UH Biocomputation Group, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, United Kingdom
RdS
Robin de Schepper
Institute for Neural Computation, University of Pavia, Italy
JP
Jari Pronold
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
JM
Jessica Mitchell
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
HM
Håkon Mørk
Faculty of Science and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
PNB
Pooja Nagendra Babu
Simulation Lab Neuroscience, Institute for Advanced Simulation, JARA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
JE
Jochen Martin Eppler
Simulation Lab Neuroscience, Institute for Advanced Simulation, JARA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
ML
Melissa Lober
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
CL
Charl Linssen
Simulation Lab Neuroscience, Institute for Advanced Simulation, JARA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
MB
Mohamed Ayssar Benelhedi
Simulation Lab Neuroscience, Institute for Advanced Simulation, JARA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
AM
Abigail Morrison
Simulation Lab Neuroscience, Institute for Advanced Simulation, JARA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
WW
Willem Wybo
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
GT
Guido Trensch
Simulation Lab Neuroscience, Institute for Advanced Simulation, JARA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
RD
Rajalekshmi Deepu
Simulation Lab Neuroscience, Institute for Advanced Simulation, JARA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
NH
Nicolai Haug
Faculty of Science and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
AK
Anno Kurth
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
SV
Stine Brekke Vennemo
Faculty of Science and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
SG
Steffen Graber
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
SS
Sebastian Spreizer
Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, Faculty IV, University of Trier, Germany
JG
Johannes Gille
Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany
JV
Jan Vogelsang
Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-7), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
MK
Marcel Krüger
Visual Computing Institute, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
MD
Markus Diesmann
JWS
Jan-Eirik Welle Skaar
Faculty of Science and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
JA
Jasper Albers
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
JV
Jose Villamar
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
SK
Susanne Kunkel
Neuromorphic Software Ecosystems, Peter-Grünberg Institute (PGI-15), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
CS
Catherine Mia Schöfmann
Neuromorphic Software Ecosystems, Peter-Grünberg Institute (PGI-15), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
JG
Jannik Grundler
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
JJ
Jakob Jordan
Department of Physiology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
JS
Johanna Senk
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
RG
Robin Gutzen
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
AM
Aitor Morales-Gregorio
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
SD
Sandra Diaz
Simulation Lab Neuroscience, Institute for Advanced Simulation, JARA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
IK
Itaru Kitayama
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
ME
Mahdi Enan
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
NK
Nilton Liuji Kamiji
University of Sao Paulo: Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brasil
JH
Jan Hahne
Department of Mathematics and Science, Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Germany
AP
Alexander Patronis
Jülich Supercomputing Center, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
WS
Wolfram Schenck
Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Mathematics, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Germany
AP
Alexander Peyser
Simulation Lab Neuroscience, Institute for Advanced Simulation, JARA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
TI
Tammo Ippen
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
SK
Sara Konradi
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
PW
Philipp Weidel
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
TF
Tanguy Fardet
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, University of Tübingen, Germany
DD
David Dahmen
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
JS
Jonas Stapmanns
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
AvM
Alexander van Meegen
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
EH
Espen Hagen
Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Norway
TV
Tom Vierjahn
Virtual Reality and Immersive Visualization Lab, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
PM
Pedro Machado
Computational Intelligence Lab, Nottingham Trent University, UK
WK
Wouter Klijn
Simulation Lab Neuroscience, Institute for Advanced Simulation, JARA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
AM
Alex Myczko
WM
William Mayner
Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA
HJ
Hanjia Jiang
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
SB
Sebastian Billaudelle
Kirchhoff-Institute for Physics, Universität Heidelberg, Germany
BV
Benedikt S. Vogler
Informatics 6 - Chair of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Real-time Systems, Technical University of Munich, Germany
GM
Guilherme Miotto
Bernstein Center Freiburg, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany
LK
Lionel Kusch
Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, INSERM UMR1106, Marseille, France
AA
Alberto Antonietti
Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
JD
Joris Dolderer
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
YB
Younes Bouhadjar
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
KD
Kael Dai
AS
Alexey Serenko
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Russia
BC
Binghuang Cai
Allen Institute, Seattle, USA
PK
Piotr Kubaj
BJ
Björn Jürgens
DN
Daniel Naoumenko
Complex Systems, School of Physics, University of Sydney, Australia
ET
Eric Thomson
Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham (NC), USA
SB
Sebastian Berns
Principles of Mathematics Research Division, National Institute of Informatics, Japan
ML
Mikkel Elle Lepperød
Department of Mathematical Sciences and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
CK
Chrisitan Keup
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
YN
Yannick Nodem
Department of Physics, University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon
MD
Moritz Deger
Computational Systems Neuroscience, Zoologisches Institut der Unversität zu Köln, Biozentrum Köln, Germany
MS
Maximilian Schmidt
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
LP
Luciano Paz
SISSA, Italy
JG
Jesús Garrido
Research Centre for Information and Communications Technologies (CITIC), University of Granada, Spain
LR
Luis Riquelme
Blue Brain Project, Brain Mind Institute, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
TK
Tobias Kühn
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
JK
Jeyashree Krishnan
Joint Research Center for Computational Biomedicine, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
MS
Mario Senden
Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Netherlands
AS
Alexey Shusharin
St. Petersburg, Russia
DR
Dimitri Rodarie
Blue Brain Project, Simulation Neuroscience Division, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
JS
Jannis Schuecker
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
BZ
Barna Zajzon
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
SM
Sepehr Mahmoudian
Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
DK
David Kappel
Institute for Theoretical Computer Science, Graz University of Technology, Austria
MS
Martin Schulze
Forschungszentrum fur Informatik (FZI), Germany
SA
Shailesh Appukuttan
Unité de Neurosciences, Information et Complexité (UNIC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
TS
Till Schumann
HT
Hünkar Can Tunç
Department of Computer Engineering, Bahçeşehir University, Turkey
MH
Michael Hoff
Institute for Theoretical Computer Science, Graz University of Technology, Austria
EM
Eric Müller
Kirchhoff-Institute for Physics, Universität Heidelberg, Germany
MC
Milena Menezes Carvalho
RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan
DP
Dimitri Plotnikov
Simulation Lab Neuroscience, Bernstein Facility for Simulation and Database Technology, Institute for Advanced Simulation, JARA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
AS
Alex Seeholzer
School of Life Sciences, Brain Mind Institute and School of Computer and Communication Sciences, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
IB
Inga Blundell
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
HB
Hannah Bos
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
CB
Claudia Bachmann
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
OB
Oliver Breitwieser
Kirchhoff-Institute for Physics, Universität Heidelberg, Germany
BG
Bruno Golosio
Department of Physics, University of Cagliari, Italy
HR
Hendrik Rothe
Computational Neuroscience Lab, Institute for Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics, University of Bremen, Germany
HS
Hesam Setareh
School of Life Sciences, Brain Mind Institute and School of Computer and Communication Sciences, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
MD
Mikael Djurfeldt
School of Computer Science and Communication, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
EM
Eilif Benjamin Muller
Blue Brain Project, Brain Mind Institute, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
AR
Arjun Rao
JV
Juan Hernando Vieites
Blue Brain Project, Brain Mind Institute, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
MH
Moritz Helias
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simula- tion (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich
JM
Janne Morén
TS
Teo Stocco
FM
Frank Michler
RP
Robin Pauli
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simula- tion (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich
MG
Marc-Oliver Gewaltig
Blue Brain Project, Brain Mind Institute, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
SA
Sacha Albada
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simula- tion (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich
TZ
Tiziano Zito
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simula- tion (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich
AS
Ali Shirvani
RD
Renato Duarte
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6), Institute for Advanced Simula- tion (IAS-6), JARA BRAIN Institute I, Forschungszentrum Jülich

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