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Related Concept Videos

Neuronal Communication01:28

Neuronal Communication

Neurons, the fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, communicate through complex electrochemical signals that underpin all cognitive and bodily functions. This communication is primarily facilitated by a process involving the generation and propagation of an action potential along the axon of the neuron. When the internal electrical charge of a neuron surpasses a certain threshold, an action potential is triggered. This rapid change in voltage travels swiftly along the axon to the...
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.
Neural Circuits01:25

Neural Circuits

Neural circuits and neuronal pools are two of the main structures found in the nervous system. Neural circuits are networks of neurons that work together to carry out a specific task or process. They consist of interconnected neurons and glial cells, which provide structural and metabolic support.
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...
Electrical Synapses01:28

Electrical Synapses

Electrical synapses found in all nervous systems play important and unique roles. In these synapses, the presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes are very close together (3.5 nm) and are actually physically connected by channel proteins forming gap junctions.
Gap junctions allow the current to pass directly from one cell to the next. In contrast, in the chemical synapse, the neurotransmitters carry the information through the synaptic cleft from one neuron to the next. They consist of two...
The Synapse02:47

The Synapse

Neurons communicate with one another by passing on their electrical signals to other neurons. A synapse is the location where two neurons meet to exchange signals. At the synapse, the neuron that sends the signal is called the presynaptic cell, while the neuron that receives the message is called the postsynaptic cell. Note that most neurons can be both presynaptic and postsynaptic, as they both transmit and receive information.
Synaptic Signaling01:09

Synaptic Signaling

Neurons communicate at synapses, or junctions, to excite or inhibit the activity of other neurons or target cells, such as muscles. Synapses may be chemical or electrical.
Most synapses are chemical, meaning an electrical impulse or action potential spurs the release of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. The neuron sending the signal is called the presynaptic neuron, and the neuron receiving the signal is the postsynaptic neuron.
The presynaptic neuron fires an action potential that...

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Closed-loop Neuro-robotic Experiments to Test Computational Properties of Neuronal Networks
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Closed-loop Neuro-robotic Experiments to Test Computational Properties of Neuronal Networks

Published on: March 2, 2015

Computing by physical interaction in neurons.

Dorian Aur1, Mandar Jog, Roman R Poznanski

  • 1Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA. DorianAur@gmail.com

Journal of Integrative Neuroscience
|January 21, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Information processing in neurons involves action potential electrodynamics. Non-uniform charge dynamics, revealed as spike directivity, suggest molecular-level memory storage and computation by interaction, a continuous model surpassing Turing machines.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Computational Neuroscience
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Action potentials are fundamental to neural information processing.
  • The Hodgkin-Huxley model fails to explain non-stereotyped spatial charge density dynamics during action potential propagation.
  • Spike directivity reveals non-uniform charge dynamics carrying meaningful information.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a new model for information processing in neurons based on electrodynamics and molecular interactions.
  • To explain how non-uniform charge dynamics during action potentials contribute to computation.
  • To highlight the limitations of current models like Hodgkin-Huxley.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of action potential electrodynamics.
  • Investigating spatial charge density dynamics.
  • Conceptualizing computation by interaction between molecular structures and electrical charges.

Main Results:

  • Non-uniform charge density dynamics during action potentials contain meaningful information.
  • Information regarding memories may be stored in molecular structural patterns, revealed during spiking.
  • Computation by interaction offers a continuous model superior to discrete step models.

Conclusions:

  • Electrodynamics of action potentials are crucial for neural computation.
  • Molecular-level structural patterns and electrical charge interactions facilitate information processing.
  • A new paradigm of 'computation by interaction' challenges existing discrete models.