title: Changes of response patterns to excitatory stimuli of different intensities: a model-based study of cochlear nucleus neurons.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The cochlear nucleus (CN) neurons show 3 principal response patterns to short tone bursts, namely the primary-like, chopper and onset response patterns. We previously established an excitatory model to simulate the response patterns of CN neurons to stimuli. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of excitatory intensity on the CN neuron response patterns and explore the role of inhibitory inputs under normal physiological conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on the platform of Matlab and the excitatory model derived from the integrate-and-fire model, we altered the intensity of excitatory inputs in dB range and obtained the histograms to analyze the changes in the response patterns of the neurons using OriginPro 7.5 data analysis software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The original primary-like response pattern of the neurons did not vary significantly while the chopper and onset response patterns changed into primary-like responses with the increase of the excitatory input intensity. But this response pattern alteration as a result of excitatory input intensity changes was rarely observed under normal physiological conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CN neurons receive balanced excitatory and inhibitory inputs, which stabilize the neuronal membrane potential within a limited range. The balanced inhibitory inputs decide the response pattern of a given neuron.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Physiology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. E-mail: jiahao@fimmu.com.
authors.forename: Jiahao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhongju
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Linghong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D017626:Cochlear Nucleus / Q000502:physiology*; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*