Stochastically gating ion channels enable patterned spike firing through activity-dependent modulation of spike probability.

ABSTRACT: The transformation of synaptic input into patterns of spike output is a fundamental operation that is determined by the particular complement of ion channels that a neuron expresses. Although it is well established that individual ion channel proteins make stochastic transitions between conducting and non-conducting states, most models of synaptic integration are deterministic, and relatively little is known about the functional consequences of interactions between stochastically gating ion channels. Here, we show that a model of stellate neurons from layer II of the medial entorhinal cortex implemented with either stochastic or deterministically gating ion channels can reproduce the resting membrane properties of stellate neurons, but only the stochastic version of the model can fully acc

SUBMITTER: Dudman JT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2631146 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature