Skip to main content
bioRxiv
  • Home
  • About
  • Submit
  • ALERTS / RSS
Advanced Search
Confirmatory Results

A Minimal Biophysical Model of Neocortical Pyramidal Cells: Implications for Frontal Cortex Microcircuitry and Field Potential Generation

View ORCID ProfileBeatriz Herrera, Amirsaman Sajad, Geoffrey F. Woodman, Jeffrey D. Schall, Jorge J. Riera
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.29.925180
Beatriz Herrera
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33174, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Beatriz Herrera
Amirsaman Sajad
Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Center for Integrative & Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37203, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Geoffrey F. Woodman
Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Center for Integrative & Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37203, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Jeffrey D. Schall
Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Center for Integrative & Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37203, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Jorge J. Riera
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33174, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: jrieradi@fiu.edu
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • Info/History
  • Metrics
  • Preview PDF
Loading

Abstract

Ca2+ spikes initiated in the apical dendrites of layer-5 pyramidal cells (PC) underlie nonlinear dynamic changes in the gain of cellular response, which is critical for top-down cognitive control. Detailed models with several compartments and dozens of ionic channels have been proposed to account for this Ca2+ spike-dependent gain with its associated critical frequency. However, current models do not account for all known Ca2+-dependent features. Previous attempts to include more features have required increasing complexity, limiting their interpretability and utility for studying large population dynamics. We present a minimal 2-compartment biophysical model, overcoming these limitations. In our model, a basal-dendritic/somatic compartment included typical Na+ and K+ conductances, while an apical-dendritic/trunk compartment included persistent Na+, hyperpolarization-activated cation (Ih), slow inactivation K+, muscarinic K+, and Ca2+ L-type. The model replicated the Ca2+ spike morphology and its critical frequency plus three other defining features of layer-5 PC synaptic integration: linear frequency-current relationships, backpropagation-activated Ca2+ spike firing, and a shift in the critical frequency by blocking Ih. Simulating 1,000 synchronized layer-5 PCs, we reproduced the current source density patterns evoked by Ca2+-spikes both with and without Ih current. Thus, a 2-compartment model with five non-classic ionic currents in the apical-dendrites reproduces all features of these neurons. We discuss the utility of this minimal model to study the microcircuitry of agranular areas of the frontal lobe involved in cognitive control and responsible for event-related potentials such as the error-related negativity.

Significance Statement A tractable model of layer-5 pyramidal cells replicates all known features crucial for distal synaptic integration in these neurons. This minimal model enables new multi-scale investigations of microcircuit functions with associated current flows measured by intracranial local field potentials. It thus establishes a foundation for the future computational evaluation of scalp electroencephalogram signatures imprinted by Ca2+ spikes in pyramidal cells, a phenomenon underlying many brain cognitive processes.

Footnotes

  • Conflicts of interest: None

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
Back to top
PreviousNext
Posted January 30, 2020.
Download PDF
Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv.

NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
A Minimal Biophysical Model of Neocortical Pyramidal Cells: Implications for Frontal Cortex Microcircuitry and Field Potential Generation
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website.
Share
A Minimal Biophysical Model of Neocortical Pyramidal Cells: Implications for Frontal Cortex Microcircuitry and Field Potential Generation
Beatriz Herrera, Amirsaman Sajad, Geoffrey F. Woodman, Jeffrey D. Schall, Jorge J. Riera
bioRxiv 2020.01.29.925180; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.29.925180
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Citation Tools
A Minimal Biophysical Model of Neocortical Pyramidal Cells: Implications for Frontal Cortex Microcircuitry and Field Potential Generation
Beatriz Herrera, Amirsaman Sajad, Geoffrey F. Woodman, Jeffrey D. Schall, Jorge J. Riera
bioRxiv 2020.01.29.925180; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.29.925180

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Subject Area

  • Neuroscience
Subject Areas
All Articles
  • Animal Behavior and Cognition (1647)
  • Biochemistry (2738)
  • Bioengineering (1907)
  • Bioinformatics (10243)
  • Biophysics (4183)
  • Cancer Biology (3217)
  • Cell Biology (4538)
  • Clinical Trials (135)
  • Developmental Biology (2840)
  • Ecology (4460)
  • Epidemiology (2041)
  • Evolutionary Biology (7231)
  • Genetics (5475)
  • Genomics (6813)
  • Immunology (2388)
  • Microbiology (7480)
  • Molecular Biology (2992)
  • Neuroscience (18584)
  • Paleontology (136)
  • Pathology (472)
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology (780)
  • Physiology (1149)
  • Plant Biology (2706)
  • Scientific Communication and Education (680)
  • Synthetic Biology (888)
  • Systems Biology (2846)
  • Zoology (468)