# Key Points from the IRC Discussion

• Autopatcher.org was discussed as a project developing robots for automatic recording of neurons in living brains, though its implementation in LabView was noted as a limitation.

• Participants debated the Oracle vs. Google case regarding API copyright, expressing concern about the broader implications if APIs were ruled copyrightable.

• Netmorph was recommended for generating neural network models that could be exported to NEURON for simulation, with specific applications for testing brain slice recognition software at 3scan.com.

• 3scan.com was described as a connectomics project using a diamond-knife edge scanning microscope, with founders who contributed to the Whole Brain Emulation roadmap.

• A substantive discussion explored using computational methods to search for effective nootropics rather than relying on empirical testing, with kanzure defining a "minimum viable nootropic" as one that enables its user to develop better nootropics.

• Participants debated whether current neural simulation technology is sophisticated enough to model the complex, brain-wide effects of nootropics beyond simple receptor interactions.

• Channelpedia (channelpedia.epfl.ch) was shared as a resource containing mathematical models of ion channels that could be used in neural simulations for nootropic research.

• For PCB design work, Eagle (with a free version) and open-source alternatives like gEDA and KiCAD were recommended.