Neural Comp. Sign up for ETOCS
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Schneidman, E.
Right arrow Articles by Segev, I.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Schneidman, E.
Right arrow Articles by Segev, I.

Neural Computation, Vol 10, 1679-1703, Copyright © 1998 by The MIT Press

LETTERS

Channel Stochasticity May Be Critical in Determining the Reliability and Precision of Spike Timing

Elad Schneidman, Barry Freedman and Idan Segev

The firing reliability and precision of an isopotential membrane patch consisting of a realistically large number of ion channels is investigated using a stochastic Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) model. In sharp contrast to the deterministic HH model, the biophysically inspired stochastic model reproduces qualitatively the different reliability and precision characteristics of spike firing in response to DC and fluctuating current input in neocortical neurons, as reported by Mainen & Sejnowski (1995). For DC inputs, spike timing is highly unreliable; the reliability and precision are significantly increased for fluctuating current input. This behavior is critically determined by the relatively small number of excitable channels that are opened near threshold for spike firing rather than by the total number of channels that exist in the membrane patch. Channel fluctuations, together with the inherent bistability in the HH equations, give rise to three additional experimentally observed phenomena: subthreshold oscillations in the membrane voltage for DC input, “spontaneous” spikes for subthreshold inputs, and “missing” spikes for suprathreshold inputs. We suggest that the noise inherent in the operation of ion channels enables neurons to act as “smart” encoders. Slowly varying, uncorrelated inputs are coded with low reliability and accuracy and, hence, the information about such inputs is encoded almost exclusively by the spike rate. On the other hand, correlated presynaptic activity produces sharp fluctuations in the input to the postsynaptic cell, which are then encoded with high reliability and accuracy. In this case, information about the input exists in the exact timing of the spikes. We conclude that channel stochasticity should be considered inrealistic models of neurons.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
D. Biron, S. Wasserman, J. H. Thomas, A. D. T. Samuel, and P. Sengupta
An olfactory neuron responds stochastically to temperature and modulates Caenorhabditis elegans thermotactic behavior
PNAS, August 5, 2008; 105(31): 11002 - 11007.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
C. R. Butson and G. A. Clark
Random Noise Paradoxically Improves Light-Intensity Encoding in Hermissenda Photoreceptor Network
J Neurophysiol, January 1, 2008; 99(1): 146 - 154.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
C. R. Butson and G. A. Clark
Mechanisms of Noise-Induced Improvement in Light-Intensity Encoding in Hermissenda Photoreceptor Network
J Neurophysiol, January 1, 2008; 99(1): 155 - 165.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Neural Comput.Home page
P. Rowat
Interspike Interval Statistics in the Stochastic Hodgkin-Huxley Model: Coexistence of Gamma Frequency Bursts and Highly Irregular Firing
Neural Comput., May 1, 2007; 19(5): 1215 - 1250.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurosci.Home page
T. Radman, Y. Su, J. H. An, L. C. Parra, and M. Bikson
Spike Timing Amplifies the Effect of Electric Fields on Neurons: Implications for Endogenous Field Effects
J. Neurosci., March 14, 2007; 27(11): 3030 - 3036.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
D. Paydarfar, D. B. Forger, and J. R. Clay
Noisy Inputs and the Induction of On-Off Switching Behavior in a Neuronal Pacemaker
J Neurophysiol, December 1, 2006; 96(6): 3338 - 3348.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ScienceHome page
A. V. M. Herz, T. Gollisch, C. K. Machens, and D. Jaeger
Modeling single-neuron dynamics and computations: a balance of detail and abstraction.
Science, October 6, 2006; 314(5796): 80 - 85.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 NeuroscientistHome page
A. D. Dorval
The Rhythmic Consequences of Ion Channel Stochasticity
Neuroscientist, October 1, 2006; 12(5): 442 - 448.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
J. X. Gittelman and B. L Tempel
Kv1.1-Containing Channels Are Critical for Temporal Precision During Spike Initiation
J Neurophysiol, September 1, 2006; 96(3): 1203 - 1214.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurosci.Home page
C. P. Billimoria, R. A. DiCaprio, J. T. Birmingham, L. F. Abbott, and E. Marder
Neuromodulation of spike-timing precision in sensory neurons.
J. Neurosci., May 31, 2006; 26(22): 5910 - 5919.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurosci.Home page
M. H. P. Kole, S. Hallermann, and G. J. Stuart
Single Ih Channels in Pyramidal Neuron Dendrites: Properties, Distribution, and Impact on Action Potential Output
J. Neurosci., February 8, 2006; 26(6): 1677 - 1687.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurosci.Home page
N. K. Dhingra, M. A. Freed, and R. G. Smith
Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels Improve Contrast Sensitivity of a Retinal Ganglion Cell
J. Neurosci., August 31, 2005; 25(35): 8097 - 8103.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
P. V. Carelli, M. B. Reyes, J. C. Sartorelli, and R. D. Pinto
Whole Cell Stochastic Model Reproduces the Irregularities Found in the Membrane Potential of Bursting Neurons
J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2005; 94(2): 1169 - 1179.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Physiol.Home page
G. A Jacobson, K. Diba, A. Yaron-Jakoubovitch, Y. Oz, C. Koch, I. Segev, and Y. Yarom
Subthreshold voltage noise of rat neocortical pyramidal neurones
J. Physiol., April 1, 2005; 564(1): 145 - 160.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurosci.Home page
K. Diba, H. A. Lester, and C. Koch
Intrinsic Noise in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons: Experiment and Modeling
J. Neurosci., October 27, 2004; 24(43): 9723 - 9733.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
T. Tateno, A. Harsch, and H. P. C. Robinson
Threshold Firing Frequency-Current Relationships of Neurons in Rat Somatosensory Cortex: Type 1 and Type 2 Dynamics
J Neurophysiol, October 1, 2004; 92(4): 2283 - 2294.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
R. Balu, P. Larimer, and B. W. Strowbridge
Phasic Stimuli Evoke Precisely Timed Spikes in Intermittently Discharging Mitral Cells
J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2004; 92(2): 743 - 753.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurosci.Home page
N. K. Dhingra and R. G. Smith
Spike Generator Limits Efficiency of Information Transfer in a Retinal Ganglion Cell
J. Neurosci., March 24, 2004; 24(12): 2914 - 2922.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Physiol.Home page
N. Axmacher and R. Miles
Intrinsic cellular currents and the temporal precision of EPSP-action potential coupling in CA1 pyramidal cells
J. Physiol., March 15, 2004; 555(3): 713 - 725.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Neural Comput.Home page
B. A. y Arcas, A. L. Fairhall, and W. Bialek
Computation in a Single Neuron: Hodgkin and Huxley Revisited
Neural Comput., August 1, 2003; 15(8): 1715 - 1749.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 J. Neurosci.Home page
L. Cathala, S. Brickley, S. Cull-Candy, and M. Farrant
Maturation of EPSCs and Intrinsic Membrane Properties Enhances Precision at a Cerebellar Synapse
J. Neurosci., July 9, 2003; 23(14): 6074 - 6085.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
J. D. Hunter and J. G. Milton
Amplitude and Frequency Dependence of Spike Timing: Implications for Dynamic Regulation
J Neurophysiol, July 1, 2003; 90(1): 387 - 394.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
M.C.W. van Rossum, B. J. O'Brien, and R. G. Smith
Effects of Noise on the Spike Timing Precision of Retinal Ganglion Cells
J Neurophysiol, May 1, 2003; 89(5): 2406 - 2419.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
J. W. Shuai and P. Jung
Optimal ion channel clustering for intracellular calcium signaling
PNAS, January 21, 2003; 100(2): 506 - 510.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
J. S. Haas and J. A. White
Frequency Selectivity of Layer II Stellate Cells in the Medial Entorhinal Cortex
J Neurophysiol, November 1, 2002; 88(5): 2422 - 2429.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Neural Comput.Home page
J. Feng and G. Li
Impact of Geometrical Structures on the Output of Neuronal Models: A Theoretical and Numerical Analysis
Neural Comput., March 1, 2002; 14(3): 621 - 640.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 Neural Comput.Home page
A. Manwani, P. N. Steinmetz, and C. Koch
The Impact of Spike Timing Variability on the Signal-Encoding Performance of Neural Spiking Models
Neural Comput., February 1, 2002; 14(2): 347 - 367.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
J.-M. Fellous, A. R. Houweling, R. H. Modi, R.P.N. Rao, P.H.E. Tiesinga, and T. J. Sejnowski
Frequency Dependence of Spike Timing Reliability in Cortical Pyramidal Cells and Interneurons
J Neurophysiol, April 1, 2001; 85(4): 1782 - 1787.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ScienceHome page
I. Segev and M. London
Untangling Dendrites with Quantitative Models
Science, October 27, 2000; 290(5492): 744 - 750.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 Neural Comput.Home page
A. Manwani and C. Koch
Detecting and Estimating Signals in Noisy Cable Structures, I: Neuronal Noise Sources
Neural Comput., November 15, 1999; 11(8): 1797 - 1829.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
J COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE NEURAL COMPUTATION MIT PRESS JOURNALS
Copyright © 1998 by The MIT Press.