Activity-Dependent Modification of Intrinsic and Synaptic Conductances in Neurons and Rhythmic networks

L. F. Abbott, K. A. Thoroughman, A. A. Prinz, V. Thirumalai & E. Marder, In: Modeling Neural Development (ed. A. van Ooyen), 2003, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, pp. 151-166

Abstract

How do neurons and networks develop and maintain stable physiological properties despite a continuous turnover of the ion channels and receptors that underlie neuronal signaling? In this chapter we present a series of computational models based on the premise that neurons have mechanisms to monitor their own patterns of activity and use these sensors to control the strengths of their voltage-dependent and synaptic conductances. Single neurons and small networks with these properties can self-assemble and recover from perturbations. These models predict that individual neurons of the same type, or identical networks in different animals, can produce similar activity patterns using different mixtures of conductances, all consistent with the same behavior.