Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Stochastic Noise Application for the Assessment of Medial Vestibular Nucleus Neuron Sensitivity In Vitro
Published on: August 28, 2019
Are the input parameters of white noise driven integrate and fire neurons uniquely determined by rate and CV?
Rafael D Vilela1, Benjamin Lindner
1Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme, Nöthnitzer Str. 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany. rdvilela@pks.mpg.de
Abstract:
Integrate and fire (IF) neurons have found widespread applications in computational neuroscience. Particularly important are stochastic versions of these models where the driving consists of a synaptic input modeled as white Gaussian noise with mean mu and noise intensity D. Different IF models have been proposed, the firing statistics of which depends nontrivially on the input parameters mu and D. In order to compare these models among each other, one must first specify the correspondence between their parameters. This can be done by determining which set of parameters (mu,D) of each model is associated with a given set of basic firing statistics as, for instance, the firing rate and the coefficient of variation (CV) of the interspike interval (ISI). However, it is not clear a priori whether for a given firing rate and CV there is only one unique choice of input parameters for each model. Here we review the dependence of rate and CV on input parameters for the perfect, leaky, and quadratic IF neuron models and show analytically that indeed in these three models the firing rate and the CV uniquely determine the input parameters.
Related Concept Videos
The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation
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.
Integration of Synaptic Events
Neural Circuits
Neuronal pools are collections of nerve cells with similar functions and interact through chemical and electrical signals. These pools include both interneurons (the central neural circuit nodes that...
Convolution Properties II
The width property indicates that if the durations of input signals are T1 and T2, then the width of the output response equals the sum of both durations, irrespective of the shapes of the two functions. For instance, convolving two rectangular pulses with durations of 2 seconds and 1 second results in a function with a width of 3 seconds.
The area property asserts that the area under the...
Basic Continuous Time Signals
The unit step function, denoted u(t), is zero for negative time values and one for positive time values, exhibiting a discontinuity at t=0. This function often represents abrupt changes, such as the step voltage introduced when turning a car's...
Graded Potential
Graded potentials fall into two categories: depolarizing and hyperpolarizing. Depolarizing graded potentials typically occur when sodium (Na+) or calcium...

