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Asymmetrical voltage response in resonant neurons shaped by nonlinearities
R F O Pena1, V Lima2, R O Shimoura2
1Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA.
Chaos (Woodbury, N.Y.)
|November 3, 2019
Summary
Neurons exhibit asymmetric voltage responses to oscillatory inputs due to nonlinearities. This study reveals ionic mechanisms and frequency-dependent patterns in neural processing of oscillatory information.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Biophysics
Background:
- Conventional neuronal impedance profiles identify resonance and nonlinear amplifications.
- They do not distinguish voltage response envelope asymmetries.
- Experimental data show frequency-dependent enhancement of upper or lower voltage envelopes in neurons.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explain the ionic mechanisms behind asymmetric voltage responses in neurons.
- To investigate how high-amplitude oscillatory currents emphasize these asymmetries.
- To provide a geometrical explanation for the observed nonlinear phenomena.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a neuron model subjected to high-amplitude oscillatory currents of variable frequencies.
- Analyzed nonlinearities in ionic currents and the model's voltage equation.
- Employed phase-plane analysis and manipulation of activation curve parameters.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that nonlinearities in ionic currents and voltage equations cause asymmetric voltage responses.
- Showed that high-amplitude oscillatory currents amplify these asymmetries.
- Identified a frequency-dependent pattern in gating variables linked to system nonlinearities.
Conclusions:
- Asymmetric voltage responses arise from nonlinearities in activation curves, nullclines, and time-scale separation.
- Ionic mechanisms underlying these asymmetries are crucial for processing oscillatory information in the brain.
- Unexpected frequency-dependent gating variable patterns offer insights into neural dynamics.
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