We describe a large-scale functional brain model that includes detailed, conductance-based, compartmental models of individual neurons. We call the model BioSpaun, to indicate the increased biological plausibility of these neurons, and because it is a direct extension of the Spaun model \cite{Eliasmith2012b}. We demonstrate that including these detailed compartmental models does not adversely affect performance across a variety of tasks, including digit recognition, serial working memory, and counting. We then explore the effects of applying TTX, a sodium channel blocking drug, to the model. We characterize the behavioral changes that result from this molecular level intervention. We believe this is the first demonstration of a large-scale brain model that clearly links low-level molecular interventions and high-level behavior.
@article{arxiv.1602.05220,
title = {BioSpaun: A large-scale behaving brain model with complex neurons},
author = {Chris Eliasmith and Jan Gosmann and Xuan Choo},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1602.05220},
year = {2016}
}