An Introduction to Neuroscience

Andrew M. Oster

Mathematical Biosciences Institute, The Ohio State University

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 1/1

Basic Structure of the Neuron
Components
• Synapse
• Dendrite
• Soma
• Axon
Synapse
Dendrites
Pre-Syn
Soma
Axon

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 2/1

Basic Structure of the Neuron
Components
• Synapse
• Dendrite
• Soma
• Axon
Synapse
Dendrites
Pre-Syn
Soma
Axon

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 2/1

Basic Structure of the Neuron
Components
• Synapse
• Dendrite
• Soma
• Axon
Synapse
Dendrites
Pre-Syn
Soma
Axon

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 2/1

Bilipid Membrane
• Differences in ionic concentrations across the cell cause a potential
difference -> drives ionic currents
• When neuron is at rest, there is an excess of charge in (+)charge outside
the cell and an excess of (-) inside it
+
Na+
Extracellular Na
+ Na+
Na

+
+ K
Cl - K
Cl - +
K
Intracellular Cl - K
+

• At equilibrium the potential difference across the membrane is

 
kT [S]e
VS = ln
zq [S]i

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 3/1

Membrane as a Circuit

• We assume membrane acts as a capacitor in parallel w/ a resistor

• Assuming Ohm’s law holds:
dV
C + Iion = 0
dt
• Current that passes through channel given by
IS = g(V − VS )

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 4/1

Voltage-gated Channels
+
+ Na
Extracellular Na +
Leak Currents
Na

K+ K+
Intracellular K+

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 5/1

Voltage-gated Channels
+
+ Na
Extracellular Na +
Leak Currents
Na

K+ K+
Intracellular K+

• Including these dudes gives us the well-sited Hodgkin-Huxley model

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 5/1

Voltage-gated Channels
• Make use of a voltage clamp

K conductance 8

5ms
t

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 5/1

Voltage-gated Channels
• Make use of a voltage clamp

K conductance

K conductance
8 8

5ms 5ms
t t
• Repeat for an array of different voltages
• Conductance changes with both voltage and time

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 5/1

Generation of the AP

dV X
Cm =− Ii + Iapp
dt i

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 6/1

Generation of the AP

dV
Cm = −IN a − IK − IL + Iapp
dt

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 6/1

Generation of the AP

dV
Cm = −gN a (V )(V − VN a ) − gK (V )(V − VK ) − gL (V − VL ) + Iapp
dt

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 6/1

Generation of the AP

dV
Cm = − ḡN a m3 h(V − VN a ) − ḡK n4 (V − VK ) − gL (V − VL ) + Iapp
dt | {z } | {z }
gN a (V ) gK (V )

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 6/1

Generation of the AP
sodium channel closes

{
Threshold
Resting potential

{
fast sodium current

dV
Cm = − ḡN a m3 h(V − VN a ) − ḡK n4 (V − VK ) − gL (V − VL ) + Iapp
dt | {z } | {z }
gN a (V ) gK (V )

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 6/1

Generation of the AP
sodium channel closes

{
Threshold
Resting potential

{
fast sodium current

dV
Cm = −ḡN a m3 h(V − VN a ) − ḡK n4 (V − VK ) − gL (V − VL ) + Iapp
dt
• Gating variables each have individual dynamics
dw
= w∞ (V ) − w
dt

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 6/1

Generation of the AP
sodium channel closes

{
Threshold
Resting potential

{
fast sodium current

dV
Cm = −ḡN a m3 h(V − VN a ) − ḡK n4 (V − VK ) − gL (V − VL ) + Iapp
dt
• Gating variables each have individual dynamics
dw
= αw (1 − w) − βw w
dt

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 6/1

HH
• Fast subsystem: V and m
• Slow subsystem: n and h

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 7/1

HH
• Fast subsystem: V and m
• Slow subsystem: n and h
• Assuming m is an instantaneous function of V
• h + n ≈ 0.8, thus we can eliminate h-dynamics

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 7/1

HH
• Fast subsystem: V and m
• Slow subsystem: n and h
• Assuming m is an instantaneous function of V
• h + n ≈ 0.8, thus we can eliminate h-dynamics

Fast-Slow of HH
• Fast sub-system: V
• Slow sub-system: n
dn/dt =0

dV/dt =0

V An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 7/1

FitzHugh-Nagumo
• Fast sub-system: V
• Slow sub-system: w
dV
ǫ = f (v, w) + Iapp
dt
dw
= g(v, w)
dt

dw/dt =0

dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 8/1

FitzHugh-Nagumo
• Fast sub-system: V
• Slow sub-system: w
dV
ǫ = f (v, w) + Iapp
dt
dw
= g(v, w)
dt

dw/dt =0

dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 8/1

FitzHugh-Nagumo
• Fast sub-system: V
• Slow sub-system: w
dV
ǫ = f (v, w) + Iapp
dt
dw
= g(v, w)
dt

dw/dt =0

dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 8/1

FitzHugh-Nagumo
• Fast sub-system: V
• Slow sub-system: w
dV
ǫ = f (v, w) + Iapp
dt
dw
= g(v, w)
dt

dw/dt =0

dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 8/1

FitzHugh-Nagumo
• Fast sub-system: V
• Slow sub-system: w
dV
ǫ = f (v, w) + Iapp
dt
dw
= g(v, w)
dt

dw/dt =0

fast dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 8/1

FitzHugh-Nagumo
• Fast sub-system: V
• Slow sub-system: w
dV
ǫ = f (v, w) + Iapp
dt
dw
= g(v, w)
dt

dw/dt =0

fast dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 8/1

FitzHugh-Nagumo
• Fast sub-system: V
• Slow sub-system: w
dV
ǫ = f (v, w) + Iapp
dt
dw
= g(v, w)
dt

dw/dt =0

slow

fast dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 8/1

FitzHugh-Nagumo
• Fast sub-system: V
• Slow sub-system: w
dV
ǫ = f (v, w) + Iapp
dt
dw
= g(v, w)
dt

dw/dt =0

w
fast

slow

fast dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 8/1

FitzHugh-Nagumo
• Fast sub-system: V
• Slow sub-system: w
dV
ǫ = f (v, w) + Iapp
dt
dw
= g(v, w)
dt

dw/dt =0

w
fast

slow

fast dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 8/1

FitzHugh-Nagumo
• Fast sub-system: V
• Slow sub-system: w
dV
ǫ = f (v, w) + Iapp
dt
dw
= g(v, w)
dt

dw/dt =0

dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 8/1

FitzHugh-Nagumo
• Fast sub-system: V
• Slow sub-system: w
dV
ǫ = f (v, w) + Iapp
dt
dw
= g(v, w)
dt

dw/dt =0
w

dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 8/1

FitzHugh-Nagumo
• Fast sub-system: V
• Slow sub-system: w
dV
ǫ = f (v, w) + Iapp
dt
dw
= g(v, w)
dt

dw/dt =0
w

dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 8/1

Post Inhibitory Rebound
• When inhibition leads to the generation of an AP

dw/dt =0

dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 9/1

Post Inhibitory Rebound
• When inhibition leads to the generation of an AP

dw/dt =0

dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 9/1

Post Inhibitory Rebound
• When inhibition leads to the generation of an AP

dw/dt =0

dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 9/1

Post Inhibitory Rebound
• When inhibition leads to the generation of an AP

dw/dt =0

dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 9/1

When There Are More Currents
• An additional current might slowly modulate the state of the system
• Resulting in a slow shift of the null clines

dw/dt =0

dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 10/1

When There Are More Currents
• An additional current might slowly modulate the state of the system
• Resulting in a slow shift of the null clines

dw/dt =0
w

dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 10/1

When There Are More Currents
• An additional current might slowly modulate the state of the system
• Resulting in a slow shift of the null clines

dw/dt =0
w

dV/dt =0

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 10/1

Square-wave Bursting
dV
Cm = −ICa − IK − IK,Ca − IL
dt

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 11/1

Square-wave Bursting
dV
Cm = −gCa (V )(V − VCa ) − (gK + gK,Ca )(V − VK ) − gL (V − VL )
dt
dn
τn (V ) = n∞ (V ) − n
dt
dc
= f (−k1 ICa − kc c
dt

with ICa = gCa m3∞ (V )h∞ (V )(V − VCa )

• Here the calcium dynamics are the "slow" dynamics

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 11/1

Square-wave Bursting

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 11/1

Square-wave Bursting

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 11/1

Integrate and Fire
• Neurons have short AP duration
• Postulated that shape of AP doesn’t matter
dV
= −Iion + Iapp
dt
V − (tth ) = θ → V + (tth ) = Vreset

Vreset t

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 12/1

Integrate and Fire
• Gives us a framework that is more easily analytically tractable
• Move to rate models
• Computationally simple

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 12/1

Coupled Cell Networks
• Unfortunately, we have more than one neuron

• Networks can be either excitatory, inhibitory, or both

• Firing patterns can emerge from the architecture

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 13/1

Wilson-Cowan Equations
• Used to model

• Networks can be either excitatory, inhibitory, or both

• Firing patterns can emerge from the architecture

An Introduction to Neuroscience – p. 14/1