Information processing in noisy burster models of sensory neurons.
Processing of external stimuli by sensory neurons often involves bursting, when epochs of fast firing alternate with intervals of quiescence. In particular, sensory neurons of electroreceptors in paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) undergo bursting when stimulated externally with broad-band noise, but otherwise fire spontaneously in a quasiperiodic tonic manner. We use a simple phenomenological model for noise-induced bursting to quantify analytically, by means of the Kullback entropy and Fisher information, the gain in information transfer and electroreceptor sensitivity for external noisy stimuli. A good agreement between theoretical predictions, numerical simulations and experimental data is shown.
Liepelt
Steffen
S
Institute of Physics, Humboldt-University Berlin, Newtonstr. 15, D-12489 Berlin, Germany. liepelt@mpikg-golm.mpg.de
Freund
Jan A
JA
Schimansky-Geier
Lutz
L
Neiman
Alexander
A
Russell
David F
DF
D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004555:Electric Fish / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000502:physiology; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D013269:Stochastic Processes