title: A diffusion model of the transient response of the cochlear inner hair cell synapse.
abstract: One class of models of hair cell synaptic function that has been investigated in recent years consists of one or more reservoirs of synaptic material connected to other reservoirs and/or the synaptic cleft by means of diffusion paths. One such general model is considered here, comprising two reservoirs and a global source of synaptic material connected in series and releasing material into the synaptic cleft by a diffusion path characterized by an intensity-dependent permeability. The explicit form of the solution of the model for a sudden onset of stimulation is derived: The solution comprises two exponentially decaying terms plus a constant. This solution is shown to have a unique inverse. This allows the determination of the parameters of the model directly from experimental data from auditory-nerve fibers in the Mongolian gerbil. The behavior of the derived model parameters with variation of stimulus intensity is demonstrated, and implications for synaptic function are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Quantitative Technology Corporation, Beaverton, Oregon 97005.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Westerman
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D006199:Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner / Q000502:physiology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*