Spatially resolved dendritic integration: towards a functional classification of neurons

PeerJ

article

Christoph Kirch¹  Leonardo L. Gollo¹ 

[1] QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute;Queensland University of Technology;Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University

关键词: Neuron;    Dendrites;    Nonlinear dynamics;    Dynamic range;    Response function;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.10250

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

The vast tree-like dendritic structure of neurons allows them to receive and integrate input from many neurons. A wide variety of neuronal morphologies exist, however, their role in dendritic integration, and how it shapes the response of the neuron, is not yet fully understood. Here, we study the evolution and interactions of dendritic spikes in excitable neurons with complex real branch structures. We focus on dozens of digitally reconstructed illustrative neurons from the online repository NeuroMorpho.org, which contains over 130,000 neurons. Yet, our methods can be promptly extended to any other neuron. This approach allows us to estimate and map specific and heterogeneous patterns of activity observed across extensive dendritic trees with thousands of compartments. We propose a classification of neurons based on the location of the soma (centrality) and the number of branches connected to the soma. These are key topological factors in determining the neuron’s energy consumption, firing rate, and the dynamic range, which quantifies the range in synaptic input rate that can be reliably encoded by the neuron’s firing rate. Moreover, we find that bifurcations, the structural building blocks of complex dendrites, play a major role in increasing the dynamic range of neurons. Our results provide a better understanding of the effects of neuronal morphology in the diversity of neuronal dynamics and function.

【 授权许可】

CC BY