Introduction

Large-scale neural models are an exciting new tool with which to study and understand the brain.By these models, we mean those biophysically based ones become possible at this scale, although the higher number of neurons still pales in comparison with the human cortex.The purpose of these models is to understand how single-neuron activity relates to high-level brain function and behaviour.

The current mechanistic functional models have the potential to significantly advance our understanding of the brain because they can be used to test hypotheses about the organization of biological circuits, to mimic and analyze the efforts of brain disorders and treatments, and to provide causal explanations linking neural and behavioural data.

Future directions for this field highlight the limitations of the existing work and the potential to improve and make use of these models in the continuing efforts to understand the brain.