title: Fluctuations in the open time of synaptic channels: an application to noise analysis based on charge.
abstract: Synaptic channels are stochastic devices. Even recording from large ensembles of channels, the fluctuations, described by Markov transition matrices, can be used to extract single channel properties. Here we study fluctuations in the open time of channels, which is proportional to the charge flowing through the channel. We use the results to implement a novel type of noise analysis that uses the charge rather than the current to extract fundamental channel parameters. We show in simulations that this charge based noise analysis is more robust if the synapse is located on the dendrites and thus subject to cable filtering. However, we also demonstrate that when multiple synapses are distributed on the dendrites, noise analysis breaks down. We finally discuss applications of our results to other biological processes.
authors: Institute for Adaptive and Neural Computation, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh EH8 9AB, UK.
authors: Hinnerk
authors: H
authors: Feldwisch-Drentrup
authors: Adam B
authors: AB
authors: Barrett
authors: Michael T
authors: MT
authors: Smith
authors: Mark C W
authors: MC
authors: van Rossum
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D003712:Dendrites / Q000502:physiology; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000502:physiology*; D008390:Markov Chains; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D011897:Random Allocation; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D013269:Stochastic Processes; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*