The provided code models a simplified neural circuit in the olfactory bulb, a part of the brain responsible for processing smell information. The biological basis centers around interactions among key cell types in the olfactory bulb – olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), mitral cells, and granule cells – capturing aspects of synaptic excitation and inhibition that shape odor processing.
Olfactory Sensory Neurons (OSNs):
ThetaStim
objects that simulate input to the olfactory bulb from the nose, representative of breathing or light stimuli, which is crucial for odor detection.Mitral Cells:
Mitral
objects (m1
, m2
), and their dendrites receive ThetaStim
input through synaptic models (AmpaNmda
).Granule Cells:
Granule
object (gc
), the connections between mitral cells and granule cells involve both excitatory (using AMPA/NMDA synapses) and inhibitory effects (FastInhib
), closely representing biological lateral inhibition seen in the olfactory bulb.AmpaNmda
model simulates AMPA and NMDA receptor-mediated excitatory synaptic transmission, typical in fast excitatory synapses in the central nervous system.FastInhib
model represents GABAergic inhibition, capturing granule cell output, which traditionally provides feedback inhibition to mitral cells.The biological model captures essential dynamics within the olfactory bulb: the integration of sensory inputs by mitral cells and the modulation of these signals through inhibitory feedback from granule cells. This interplay is fundamental for the temporal and spatial refinement of odor signals before they are relayed to higher brain regions for further processing.