This model was designed to study the impact of H-currents on the dynamics of cortical oscillations, and in paticular on the occurrence of high and low amplitude episodes (HAE, LAE) in network oscillations. The H-current is a slow, hyperpolarization-activated, depolarizing current that contributes to neuronal resonance and membrane potential. We characterized amplitude fluctuations in network oscillations by measuring the average durations of HAEs and LAEs, and explored how these were modulated by trains of external spikes, both in the presence and absence of H-channels. We looked at HAE duration, the frequency and power of network oscillations, and the effect of H-channels on the temporal voltage profile in single cells. We found that H-currents increased the oscillation frequency and, in combination with external spikes, representing input from areas outside the network, strongly decreased the synchrony of firing. As a consequence, the oscillation power and the duration of episodes during which the network exhibited high-amplitude oscillations were greatly reduced in the presence of H-channels.
Model Type: Realistic Network
Region(s) or Organism(s): Prefrontal cortex (PFC)
Cell Type(s): Abstract single compartment conductance based cell
Model Concept(s): Action Potentials
Simulation Environment: NEURON
Implementer(s): Avella G. Oscar Javier [oscarjavella at gmail dot com]
References:
Avella Gonzalez OJ, Mansvelder HD, van Pelt J, van Ooyen A. (2015). H-Channels Affect Frequency, Power and Amplitude Fluctuations of Neuronal Network Oscillations. Frontiers in computational neuroscience. 9 [PubMed]