Network bursts in cortical cultures are best simulated using pacemaker neurons and adaptive synapses

Gritsun, T.A. and Feber le, J. and Stegenga, J. and Rutten, W.L.C. (2010) Network bursts in cortical cultures are best simulated using pacemaker neurons and adaptive synapses. Biological Cybernetics, 102 . pp. 293-310. ISSN 0340-1200

PDF
Restricted to UT campus only: Request a copy
5Mb

Abstract:	One of the most specific and exhibited features in the electrical activity of dissociated cultured neural networks is the phenomenon of synchronized bursts, whose profiles vary widely in shape, width and firing rate. On the way to understanding the organization and behavior of biological NNs, we reproduced those features with random connectivity network models with 5,000 neurons. While the common approach to induce bursting behavior in neuronal network models is noise injection, there is experimental evidence suggesting the existence of pacemaker-like neurons. In our simulations noise did evoke bursts, but with an unrealistically gentle rising slope. We show that a small subset of ‘pacemaker’ neurons can trigger bursts with a more realistic profile. We found that adding pacemaker-like neurons as well as adaptive synapses yield burst features (shape, width, and height of the main phase) in the same ranges as obtained experimentally. Finally, we demonstrate how changes in network connectivity, transmission delays, and excitatory fraction influence network burst features quantitatively.
Item Type:	Article
Copyright:	© The Author(s)
Faculty:	Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS)
Research Group:	Biomedical Signals and Systems (BSS)
Link to this item:	http://purl.utwente.nl/publications/72463
Official URL:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00422-010-0366-x
Export this item as:	BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager

Show download statistics for this publication

Repository Staff Only: item control page