title: Slow variable dominance and phase resetting in phantom bursting.
abstract: Bursting oscillations are common in neurons and endocrine cells. One type of bursting model with two slow variables has been called 'phantom bursting' since the burst period is a blend of the time constants of the slow variables. A phantom bursting model can produce bursting with a wide range of periods: fast (short period), medium, and slow (long period). We describe a measure, which we call the 'dominance factor', of the relative contributions of the two slow variables to the bursting produced by a simple phantom bursting model. Using this tool, we demonstrate how the control of different phases of the burst can be shifted from one slow variable to another by changing a model parameter. We then show that the dominance curves obtained as a parameter is varied can be useful in making predictions about the resetting properties of the model cells. Finally, we demonstrate two mechanisms by which phase-independent resetting of a burst can be achieved, as has been shown to occur in the electrical activity of pancreatic islets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watts
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tabak
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zimliki
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sherman
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bertram
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors