title: Noise-assisted spike propagation in myelinated neurons.
abstract: We consider noise-assisted spike propagation in myelinated axons within a multicompartment stochastic Hodgkin-Huxley model. The noise originates from a finite number of ion channels in each node of Ranvier. For the subthreshold internodal electric coupling, we show that (i) intrinsic noise removes the sharply defined threshold for spike propagation from node to node and (ii) there exists an optimum number of ion channels which allows for the most efficient signal propagation and it corresponds to the actual physiological values.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Physik, Universität Augsburg, Universitätsstrabetae 1, 86159 Augsburg, Germany and M. Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagellonian University, ul. Reymonta 4, 30-059 Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ochab-Marcinek
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Goychuk
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hänggi
mesh_terms: D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism; D002451:Cell Compartmentation; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000378:metabolism*; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013269:Stochastic Processes
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels