Researchers at Seattle’s Allen Institute and partner institutions in Japan created a whole-cortex mouse brain simulation using the Fugaku supercomputer.
The simulation models nearly 10 million neurons connected by 26 billion synapses and draws on data from the Allen Cell Types Database and the Allen Connectivity Atlas. The team translated these data into a 3-D model using the Brain Modeling ToolKit and used the Neulite simulation program to produce virtual neurons that interact like living cells. Full-scale runs on Fugaku showed that the system could simulate one second of mouse-brain activity in no more than 32 seconds, and the researchers note that future versions will need additional data to incorporate plasticity, neuromodulators and detailed sensory inputs.
The new simulation marks a significant advance in brain modeling informed by detailed datasets produced in Seattle.