Simulations of motor unit discharge patterns (Powers et al. 2011)

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Accession:143671
" ... To estimate the potential contributions of PIC (Persistent Inward Current) activation and synaptic input patterns to motor unit discharge patterns, we examined the responses of a set of cable motoneuron models to different patterns of excitatory and inhibitory inputs. The models were first tuned to approximate the current- and voltage-clamp responses of low- and medium-threshold spinal motoneurons studied in decerebrate cats and then driven with different patterns of excitatory and inhibitory inputs. The responses of the models to excitatory inputs reproduced a number of features of human motor unit discharge. However, the pattern of rate modulation was strongly influenced by the temporal and spatial pattern of concurrent inhibitory inputs. Thus, even though PIC activation is likely to exert a strong influence on firing rate modulation, PIC activation in combination with different patterns of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs can produce a wide variety of motor unit discharge patterns."
Reference:
1 . Powers RK, Elbasiouny SM, Rymer WZ, Heckman CJ (2012) Contribution of intrinsic properties and synaptic inputs to motoneuron discharge patterns: a simulation study. J Neurophysiol 107:808-23 [PubMed]
Citations  Citation Browser
Model Information (Click on a link to find other models with that property)
Model Type: Neuron or other electrically excitable cell;
Brain Region(s)/Organism:
Cell Type(s): Spinal cord lumbar motor neuron alpha ACh cell;
Channel(s):
Gap Junctions:
Receptor(s):
Gene(s):
Transmitter(s):
Simulation Environment: NEURON;
Model Concept(s): Activity Patterns; Bursting; Action Potentials;
Implementer(s): Powers, Randy [rkpowers at u.washington.edu];
Search NeuronDB for information about:  Spinal cord lumbar motor neuron alpha ACh cell;
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PowersEtAl2012
code
Gfluctdv.mod *
ghchan.mod *
kca2.mod *
kdrRL.mod *
L_Ca.mod *
mAHP.mod *
na3rp.mod *
naps.mod *
synss.mod
ana_FI.hoc
ana_G.hoc
ana_passive.hoc
ana_vc.hoc
ana_vc_synss.hoc
AP_AHP.ses
FIgraph.hoc
FRcablepas.hoc
FRmnrampcc.ses
FRmnrampvc_synss.ses
FRMotoneuronNaHH.hoc
gramp.ses
GUI_FR_analysis.hoc
inhibdist
makebiramp.hoc *
passive.ses
RecActive.hoc
re-init.hoc
SetConductances.hoc
test.hoc
twobirampsdel.hoc *
vramp
vrampdel
vrampdel.hoc
                            
TITLE Fluctuating conductances

COMMENT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Fluctuating conductance model for synaptic bombardment
	======================================================

THEORY

  Synaptic bombardment is represented by a stochastic model containing
  two fluctuating conductances g_e(t) and g_i(t) descibed by:

     Isyn = g_e(t) * [V - E_e] + g_i(t) * [V - E_i]
     d g_e / dt = -(g_e - g_e0) / tau_e + sqrt(D_e) * Ft
     d g_i / dt = -(g_i - g_i0) / tau_i + sqrt(D_i) * Ft

  where E_e, E_i are the reversal potentials, g_e0, g_i0 are the average
  conductances, tau_e, tau_i are time constants, D_e, D_i are noise diffusion
  coefficients and Ft is a gaussian white noise of unit standard deviation.

  g_e and g_i are described by an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) stochastic process
  where tau_e and tau_i represent the "correlation" (if tau_e and tau_i are 
  zero, g_e and g_i are white noise).  The estimation of OU parameters can
  be made from the power spectrum:

     S(w) =  2 * D * tau^2 / (1 + w^2 * tau^2)

  and the diffusion coeffient D is estimated from the variance:

     D = 2 * sigma^2 / tau


NUMERICAL RESOLUTION

  The numerical scheme for integration of OU processes takes advantage 
  of the fact that these processes are gaussian, which led to an exact
  update rule independent of the time step dt (see Gillespie DT, Am J Phys 
  64: 225, 1996):

     x(t+dt) = x(t) * exp(-dt/tau) + A * N(0,1)

  where A = sqrt( D*tau/2 * (1-exp(-2*dt/tau)) ) and N(0,1) is a normal
  random number (avg=0, sigma=1)


IMPLEMENTATION

  This version has changed from point process nonspecific current to density


PARAMETERS

  The mechanism takes the following parameters:

     E_e = 0  (mV)		: reversal potential of excitatory conductance
     E_i = -75 (mV)		: reversal potential of inhibitory conductance

     g_e0 = 0.0001 (S/cm2)	: average excitatory conductance
     g_i0 = 0.0005 (S/cm2)	: average inhibitory conductance

     std_e = 3e-5 (S/cm2)	: standard dev of excitatory conductance
     std_i = 6e-5 (S/cm2)	: standard dev of inhibitory conductance

     tau_e = 2.728 (ms)		: time constant of excitatory conductance
     tau_i = 10.49 (ms)		: time constant of inhibitory conductance


Gfluct2: conductance cannot be negative


REFERENCE

  Destexhe, A., Rudolph, M., Fellous, J-M. and Sejnowski, T.J.  
  Fluctuating synaptic conductances recreate in-vivo--like activity in
  neocortical neurons. Neuroscience 107: 13-24 (2001).

  (electronic copy available at http://cns.iaf.cnrs-gif.fr)


  A. Destexhe, 1999
Modified 04/09/08 by RKP so that current can be varied continuously over the course of a simulation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENDCOMMENT



INDEPENDENT {t FROM 0 TO 1 WITH 1 (ms)}

NEURON {
	SUFFIX Gfluctdv
	RANGE g_e, g_i, E_e, E_i, g_e0, g_i0, g_e1, g_i1
	RANGE std_e, std_i, tau_e, tau_i, D_e, D_i
	GLOBAL multex,multin
        NONSPECIFIC_CURRENT i

}

UNITS {
	(mV) = (millivolt)
	(mA) = (milliamp)
   	(S) = (siemens)
}

PARAMETER {
	dt		(ms)

	E_e	= 0 	(mV)	: reversal potential of excitatory conductance
	E_i	= -75 	(mV)	: reversal potential of inhibitory conductance


     	g_e0 = 0.0001 (S/cm2)	: average excitatory conductance
     	g_i0 = 0.0005 (S/cm2)	: average inhibitory conductance

     	std_e = 3e-5 (S/cm2)	: standard dev of excitatory conductance
     	std_i = 6e-5 (S/cm2)	: standard dev of inhibitory conductance

	tau_e	= 2.728	(ms)	: time constant of excitatory conductance
	tau_i	= 10.49	(ms)	: time constant of inhibitory conductance

	multex=0
	multin=0
}

ASSIGNED {
	v	(mV)		: membrane voltage
	i 	(mA/cm2)	: fluctuating current
	g_e	(S/cm2)		: total excitatory conductance
	g_i	(S/cm2)		: total inhibitory conductance
	g_e1	(S/cm2)		: fluctuating excitatory conductance
	g_i1	(S/cm2)		: fluctuating inhibitory conductance
	D_e	(umho umho /ms) : excitatory diffusion coefficient
	D_i	(umho umho /ms) : inhibitory diffusion coefficient
	exp_e
	exp_i
	amp_e	(umho)
	amp_i	(umho)
}

INITIAL {
	g_e1 = 0
	g_i1 = 0
	if(tau_e != 0) {
		D_e = 2 * std_e * std_e / tau_e
		exp_e = exp(-dt/tau_e)
		amp_e =sqrt(multex)*std_e * sqrt( (1-exp(-2*dt/tau_e)) )
	}
	if(tau_i != 0) {
		D_i = 2 * std_i * std_i / tau_i
		exp_i = exp(-dt/tau_i)
		amp_i = sqrt(multin)*std_i * sqrt( (1-exp(-2*dt/tau_i)) )
	}
}

BREAKPOINT {
	SOLVE oup
	if(tau_e==0) {
	   g_e = std_e * normrand(0,1)
	}
	if(tau_i==0) {
	   g_i = std_i * normrand(0,1)
	}
	g_e = multex*g_e0 + g_e1
	if(g_e < 0) { g_e = 0 }
	g_i = multin* g_i0 + g_i1
	if(g_i < 0) { g_i = 0 }
	i = g_e * (v - E_e) + g_i * (v - E_i)
}


PROCEDURE oup() {		: use Scop function normrand(mean, std_dev)
   if(tau_e!=0) {
	amp_e =sqrt(multex)*std_e * sqrt( (1-exp(-2*dt/tau_e)) )
	g_e1 =  exp_e * g_e1 + amp_e * normrand(0,1)
   }
   if(tau_i!=0) {
	amp_i = sqrt(multin)*std_i * sqrt( (1-exp(-2*dt/tau_i)) )
	g_i1 =  exp_i * g_i1 + amp_i * normrand(0,1)
   }
}


PROCEDURE new_seed(seed) {		: procedure to set the seed
	set_seed(seed)
	VERBATIM
	  printf("Setting random generator with seed = %g\n", _lseed);
	ENDVERBATIM
}