Effects of I_AHP on pattern recall and the synchronization of firing

Abstract

The effect of a bimodal (fast rise, slow decay) outward conductance on a formal point neuron is studied by means of numerical simulation. Its influence upon the model neuron is contrasted with respect to that exercised by a generic, unimodal conductance. This is realized by treating the model neuron both isolated and as the processing element of a standard neural network. The increment of the magnitude of the outward bimodal conductance appears to sharpen the network's ability to recall a preferred stable state. The neuron has also been embedded in a more complex model, inspired by the nigro-striato-cortical circuit. This system, only when endowed by the bimodal potassium conductance, is able to generate periodic bursts of neuronal discharges, as a response to an unstructured input.