# An Example Usage Scenario

As an example of how one might use the Modeler's Workspace, consider the case of a neuroanatomist who is interested in the effects of dendritic morphology on the behavior of Purkinje cells. For example, this researcher may wonder whether a model with a simplified morphology might have sufficiently realistic behavior for use in a network model of part of the cerebellum. (We note that in the case of the Purkinje cell, the answer is likely to be ``no''.) The user might begin by using the Search Pane in the Modeler's Workspace to search for various Purkinje cell models in databases on the Internet.

This Search Pane illustration shows a possible search result that includes a hypothetical model based on that created by De Schutter and Bower, but using a variant morphology that was generated by the L-Neuron program.

The next step might be to use an Inspector to examine the particular cell model in more detail. The user could do this by double-clicking the line containing the model of interest in the search results.

The Purkinje Cell Inspector illustration shows a Cell Inspector view with information about the geometrical and passive properties of the Purkinje cell model soma. In order to examine the specific channels used in the model in more detail, the user would employ a Channel Inspector.

The Purkinje Channel Inspector illustration shows details of the channel dynamics used for the fast sodium channels in the model. Note that, as with the case of most of the inspectors, it is possible to see the actual equations that are used when the model is simulated. The availability of these equations may give reassurance to modelers who distrust software that they did not write themselves.

The various templates used in the Modeler's Workspace contain a great deal of descriptive information about the model and the experimental data on which it is based. However, the most information may be obtained if the model is actually used in a simulation, so that the behavior of different models may be compared under the same simulation conditions. In this case, users might want to import the model into the local Workspace Database so that they can run it in a simulator. Importing a model can be done from the table of search results in the Search Pane by highlighting the line containing the particular model desired and then clicking on the ``import'' button. Once the model is copied into a user's Workspace Database, the user may switch to the Build Pane to send the model to a simulator and compare current clamp simulations under the conditions described by De Schutter and Bower. The Build Pane and the Inspectors could also be used to create additional models, either by starting from and modifying an existing model, or by importing passive morphologies from elsewhere and populating them with channels taken from a Purkinje cell model database.