Model selection and parameter estimation for ion channel recordings with an application to the K+ outward-rectifier...

We present a statistical method, and its accompanying algorithms, for the selection of a mathematical model of the gating mechanism of an ion channel and for the estimation of the parameters of this model. The method assumes a hidden Markov model that incorporates filtering, colored noise and state-dependent white excess noise for the recorded data. The model selection and parameter estimation are performed via a Bayesian approach using Markov chain Monte Carlo. The method is illustrated by its application to single-channel recordings of the K(+) outward-rectifier in barley leaf.