This single-neuron model is, to the authors' knowledge, the first to capture the pre-inspiratory ramping aspects of preBotzinger Complex inspiratory neurons' activity patterns, in which relatively slow tonic spiking gradually progresses to faster spiking and a full-blown burst, with a corresponding gradual development of an underlying plateau potential. The key to this pattern is the incorporation of the dynamics of the extracellular potassium ion concentration, which is here integrated into an existing model for pre-BotC neuron bursting along with some parameter adjustments. Using fast-slow decomposition, this activity can be shown to be a form of parabolic bursting, but with burst termination at a homoclinic bifurcation rather than at a SNIC bifurcation.
Model Type: Neuron or other electrically excitable cell
Region(s) or Organism(s): Brainstem
Cell Type(s): PreBotzinger complex neuron
Currents: I Na, slow inactivation
Model Concept(s): Bursting; Dynamic extracellular concentrations; Ramping
Simulation Environment: XPPAUT
Implementer(s): Abdulla, Muhammad [muhammadabdulla at ufl.edu]; Phillips, Ryan [ryanp at pitt.edu]; Rubin, Jonathan E [jonrubin at pitt.edu]
References:
Abdulla MU, Phillips RS, Rubin JE. (2022). Dynamics of ramping bursts in a respiratory neuron model Journal of computational neuroscience. 50 [PubMed]