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Related Concept Videos

Action Potential01:14

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
Action Potential01:14

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
Action Potentials01:41

Action Potentials

Overview
The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation01:19

The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation

A postsynaptic neuron usually receives numerous impulses from several other presynaptic neurons. The axon hillock of the postsynaptic neuron integrates all these signals and determines the likelihood of firing an action potential.
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential.
Electrochemical Gradient and Channel Proteins: An Overview01:21

Electrochemical Gradient and Channel Proteins: An Overview

An electrochemical gradient is a fundamental concept in biology and chemistry. It regulates the movement of ions across cell membranes. This movement is influenced by two factors:
The electrical gradient: The electrical gradient across cell membranes refers to the difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a cell.  This difference drives the movement of ions towards or away from the cells. For instance, if the inside of the cell is more negatively charged relative to the...
Neuron Structure01:30

Neuron Structure

Neurons are the main type of cell in the nervous system that generate and transmit electrochemical signals. They primarily communicate with each other using neurotransmitters at specific junctions called synapses. Neurons come in many shapes that often relate to their function, but most share three main structures: an axon and dendrites that extend out from a cell body.
Structure and Function of Neurons
The neuronal cell body—the soma— houses the nucleus and organelles vital to cellular...

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Real-time Electrophysiology: Using Closed-loop Protocols to Probe Neuronal Dynamics and Beyond
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Published on: June 24, 2015

Neuronal firing sensitivity to morphologic and active membrane parameters.

Christina M Weaver1, Susan L Wearne

  • 1Laboratory of Biomathematics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America. christina.weaver@mssm.edu

Plos Computational Biology
|January 23, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Neuronal firing dynamics depend on both ion channels and dendritic structure. This study uses mathematical sensitivity analysis to quantify how morphology influences firing, revealing insights into neural homeostasis and predicting compensatory mechanisms for structural changes.

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Published on: January 18, 2011

Area of Science:

  • Computational Neuroscience
  • Mathematical Biology
  • Neurophysiology

Background:

  • Neuronal firing dynamics are shaped by membrane excitability (active ion channels) and dendritic morphology.
  • The interplay and relative importance of these factors, particularly morphology's role in homeostasis, are not well understood.
  • Previous models often neglected the influence of dendritic structure on neuronal function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the influence of dendritic morphology (length, diameter, surface area) on neuronal firing dynamics.
  • To compare the impact of morphological parameters against active ion channel parameters.
  • To develop a method for understanding how realistic morphology contributes to functional homeostasis in neurons.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a novel application of mathematical sensitivity analysis to a parameterized cylindrical dendrite model.
  • Applied the method to model neurons from goldfish Area II, known for persistent activity.
  • Introduced 'sensitivity landscapes' by performing global sensitivity analyses of firing rate and gain across parameter space.

Main Results:

  • Identified principal directions of sensitivity, revealing intrinsic currents that most control model output.
  • Discovered domains where specific parameter groups exhibited highest sensitivities, suggesting group interactions shape firing behavior.
  • Demonstrated that the method can characterize which models are sensitive to general morphologic features.

Conclusions:

  • Realistic neuronal morphology plays a significant role in functional homeostasis.
  • The developed method provides quantitative predictions to understand compensatory mechanisms for structural changes (e.g., aging, disease, trauma).
  • Sensitivity landscapes offer new insights into biological system homeostasis and can be adapted for any computational model.