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Sparse network models reproduce experimentally observed spike timing jitter during inspiratory population rhythms in the pre-Bötzinger complex
BMC Neuroscience volume 9, Article number: P14 (2008)
Neurons within the pre-Bötzinger complex of the ventral respiratory group (VRG) in the medulla generate rhythmic network activity which has been shown to be essential for normal breathing in vivo. Furthermore, many physiological responses of this network are preserved in transverse medullary brain slice preparations, where bursts of population discharge are typically recorded with large, low-impedance electrodes [1]. Recent analysis of multiunit extracellular recordings from this in vitro preparation has shown that the onset timing of spikes from the individual neurons that make up this rhythm is quite variable on a burst-by-burst basis. A conductance-based model [2] of this network with all-to-all connectivity fails to reproduce this variability, while a model with sparse (but proportionally stronger) synaptic coupling generates firing patterns with a higher fidelity to the experimental results (see Figure 1). Specifically, the mean variance of burst-triggered spike timing was 0.0218 ± 0.0184 (SD) for in vitro recordings, 0.0347 ± 0.0267 for sparsely connected network models, and 0.0004 ± 0.0023 for fully connected models. Continuing simulations will explore further relationships between parameters of network topology and spike timing variability.
References
Ramirez J-M, Tryba AK, Peña F: Respiratory rhythm generation: converging concepts from in vitro and in vivo approaches?. Respir Physiol Neurobiol. 2002, 131 (1–2): 43-56. 10.1016/S1569-9048(02)00036-8.
Rybak IA, Shevtsova NA, Ptak K, McCrimmon DR: Intrinsic bursting activity in the pre-Botzinger complex: role of persistent sodium and potassium currents. Biol Cybern. 2004, 90 (1): 59-74. 10.1007/s00422-003-0447-1.
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Open Access This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Carroll, M.S., Ramirez, JM. Sparse network models reproduce experimentally observed spike timing jitter during inspiratory population rhythms in the pre-Bötzinger complex. BMC Neurosci 9 (Suppl 1), P14 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2202-9-S1-P14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2202-9-S1-P14