title: Coregulation of ion channel conductances preserves output in a computational model of a crustacean cardiac motor neuron.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211.
authors.forename: Clarence C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.affiliation: Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454.
authors.forename: Anne-Elise
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Tobin
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211.
authors.forename: Satish S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Nair
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D015222:Sodium Channels