Electrical synapses between interneurons contribute to synchronized firing and network oscillations in the brain. However, little is known about how such networks respond to excitatory synaptic input. In addition to detailed electrophysiological recordings and histological investigations of electrically coupled Golgi cells in the cerebellum, a detailed network model of these cells was created. The cell models are based on reconstructed Golgi cell morphologies and the active conductances are taken from an earlier abstract Golgi cell model (Solinas et al 2007, accession no. 112685). Our results show that gap junction coupling can sometimes be inhibitory and either promote network synchronization or trigger rapid network desynchronization depending on the synaptic input. The model is available as a neuroConstruct project and can executable scripts can be generated for the NEURON simulator.
Model Type: Realistic Network
Region(s) or Organism(s): Cerebellum
Cell Type(s): Cerebellum golgi cell
Currents: I Na,p; I Na,t; I L high threshold; I A; I K; I M; I K,Ca; I Calcium; I Potassium; I_AHP
Model Concept(s): Ion Channel Kinetics; Oscillations; Synchronization; Detailed Neuronal Models
Simulation Environment: neuroConstruct (web link to model); NeuroML (web link to model)
Implementer(s): Gleeson, Padraig [p.gleeson at ucl.ac.uk]; Vervaeke, Koen [k.vervaeke at ucl.ac.uk]
References:
Vervaeke K et al. (2010). Rapid desynchronization of an electrically coupled interneuron network with sparse excitatory synaptic input. Neuron. 67 [PubMed]