NeuroMorpho Access Tool: A Simple GUI for Accessing NeuroMorpho.Org Database

Abstract The use of open-access data has become increasingly prevalent in modern neuroscience research. These data are commonly used as a supplement to practical experimental research, but there is also an increasing body of literature which relies exclusively on the use of such publicly available data. Although freely available, these databases usually require an adequate level of training in bioinformatics and/or programming for a researcher to access them, which limits their usability. One of the oldest, most utilized and maintained databases of neuron and glia cell morphology is the NeuroMorpho.Org database, which can be access through the use of application programing interface (API). In the present paper we introduce the NeuroMorpho Access Tool (NMAT), a simple and user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) program, which allows easy and fast access to the NeuroMorpho.Org database to any neuroscientist, regardless of their previous bioinformatics knowledge. The core of NMAT was built in Python, utilizes the NeuroMorpho.Org API in order access the database, and has a GUI built in Qt environment. The program is lightweight, consists of only one executable file and does not require any extensive accompanying instructional or technical documentation. The current version of the program enables the users to obtain cell reconstruction data together with morphometry data and also acquire images of cell reconstructions. The main advantage of NMAT is its multithreading capability, which allows the users to gain access to a large amount of data in a very short time period. Thus, NMAT may prove as a usefully tool which would complement the highly utilized NeuroMorpho.Org database.