Coregulation of ion channel conductances preserves output in a computational model of a crustacean cardiac motor neuron.
Similar activity patterns at both neuron and network levels can arise from different combinations of membrane and synaptic conductance values. A strategy by which neurons may preserve their electrical output is via cell type-dependent balances of inward and outward currents. Measurements of mRNA transcripts that encode ion channel proteins within motor neurons in the crustacean cardiac ganglion recently revealed correlations between certain channel types. To determine whether balances of intrinsic currents potentially resulting from such correlations preserve certain electrical cell outputs, we developed a nominal biophysical model of the crustacean cardiac ganglion using biological data. Predictions from the nominal model showed that coregulation of ionic currents may preserve the key characteristics of motor neuron activity. We then developed a methodology of sampling a multidimensional parameter space to select an appropriate model set for meaningful comparison with variations in correlations seen in biological datasets.
Ball
John M
JM
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211.
Franklin
Clarence C
CC
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211.
Tobin
Anne-Elise
AE
Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454.
Schulz
David J
DJ
Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211.
Nair
Satish S
SS
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211.
D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003445:Crustacea / Q000502:physiology; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000502:physiology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology
D015222:Sodium Channels