"A quantitative, physiology-based model of the ascending arousal system is developed, using continuum neuronal population modeling, which involves averaging properties such as firing rates across neurons in each population. The model includes the ventrolateral preoptic area (VLPO), where circadian and homeostatic drives enter the system, the monoaminergic and cholinergic nuclei of the ascending arousal system, and their interconnections. The human sleep-wake cycle is governed by the activities of these nuclei, which modulate the behavioral state of the brain via diffuse neuromodulatory projections. ... The model behavior is robust across the constrained parameter ranges, but with sufficient flexibility to describe a wide range of observed phenomena. "
Transmitters: Acetylcholine
Model Concept(s): Circadian Rhythms; Temporal Pattern Generation; Sleep; Activity Patterns; Oscillations; Homeostasis
Simulation Environment: CellML (web link to model)
References:
Phillips AJ, Robinson PA. (2007). A quantitative model of sleep-wake dynamics based on the physiology of the brainstem ascending arousal system. Journal of biological rhythms. 22 [PubMed]