1. Setting up Python and Brian

To solve the exercises you need to install Python, Brian2 and the neurodynex package. The installation procedure we described here focuses on the tools we use in the classroom sessions at EPFL. For that reason we additionally set up a conda environment (which we call bmnn below) and install Jupyter .

1.1. Using miniconda

We offer anaconda packages for the most recent releases, which is the easiest way of running the exercises. (Alternatively you can clone the sources from github)

Head over to the miniconda download page and install miniconda (for Python 2.7 preferably).

Now execute the following commands to install the exercise package as well as Brian2 and some dependencies. Note: we create a conda environment called ‘bmnn’. You may want to change that name. In the last command we install Jupyter , a handy tool to create solution documents.

>> conda create --name bmnn python=2.7
>> source activate bmnn
>> conda install -c brian-team -c epfl-lcn neurodynex
>> conda install jupyter

If you need to update the exercise package, call:

>> source activate bmnn
>> conda update -c brian-team -c epfl-lcn neurodynex

You now have the tools you need to solve the python exercises. To get started, open a terminal, move to the folder where you want your code being stored and start a Jupyter notebook:

>> cd your_folder
>> source activate bmnn
>> jupyter notebook
../_images/StartJupyter.png

Starting Jupyter will open your browser. Select NEW, Python2 to get a new notebook page. Depending on what else you have installed on your computer, you may have to specify the kernel. In the case shown here, it’s the Python-bmnn installation.

Once you’ve create a new notebook, copy-paste the code of exercise one into the notebook and run it. Note that the first time you do this, the execution may take a little longer and, in some cases, you may see compilation warnings.
../_images/StartJupyter_2.png

We recommend you to create one notebook per exercise.

Note

Trouble shooting: You may get errors like ‘No module named ‘neurodynex’. This is the case when your jupyter notebook does not see the packages you’ve just installed. As a solution, try to re-install jupyter within the environment: .. code-block:

>> source activate bmnn
>> conda install jupyter