Visualization of currents in neural models with similar behavior and different conductance densities

Abstract
Data availability
Article and author information
Metrics

Abstract

Conductance-based models of neural activity produce large amounts of data that can be hard to visualize and interpret. We introduce visualization methods to display the dynamics of the ionic currents and to display the models' response to perturbations. To visualize the currents' dynamics we compute the percent contribution of each current and display them over time using stacked-area plots. The waveform of the membrane potential and the contribution of each current change as the models are perturbed. To represent these changes over a range of the perturbation control parameter, we compute and display the distributions of these waveforms. We illustrate these procedures in six examples of bursting model neurons with similar activity but that differ as much as 3-fold in their conductance densities. These visualization methods provide heuristic insight into why individual neurons or networks with similar behavior can respond widely differently to perturbations.

Data availability

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting files. Source data files have been provided for Figures 2 through 15.Data package available in Dryad: doi:10.5061/dryad.d0779mb

The following data sets were generated

1. Alonso LM
2. Marder E
(2019) Data from: Visualization of currents in neural models with similar behavior and different conductance densities
Dryad Digital Repository, doi:10.5061/dryad.d0779mb.

https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.d0779mb

Article and author information

Author details

Leandro M Alonso

Volen Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States

For correspondence
lalonso@brandeis.edu

Competing interests
No competing interests declared.

"This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0001-8211-2855
Eve Marder

Volen Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States

Competing interests
Eve Marder, Senior editor, eLife.

"This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0001-9632-5448

Funding

National Institutes of Health (R35 NS097343)

Eve Marder

Swartz Foundation (2017)

Leandro M Alonso

National Institutes of Health (MH046742)

Eve Marder

National Institutes of Health (T32 NS07292)

Leandro M Alonso

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.

Copyright

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.