Small dendritic synapses enhance temporal coding in a model of cochlear nucleus bushy cells
Elisabeth Koert, Thomas Kuenzel
Abstract
We modeled dendritic inputs from the auditory nerve that spherical bushy cells of the cochlear nucleus receive. Dendritic inputs caused both tonic depolarization and modulation of the membrane potential at the input frequency. This improved the rate, entrainment, and temporal precision of output action potentials. Our simulations suggest a role for small dendritic inputs in auditory processing: they modulate the efficacy of the main input supporting temporal precision and fidelity in these central auditory neurons.
Topics & Concepts
NeuroscienceDepolarizationExcitatory postsynaptic potentialTonic (physiology)Cochlear nucleusAuditory systemNucleusPhysicsBiological systemChemistryBiophysicsBiologyInhibitory postsynaptic potentialHearing, Cochlea, Tinnitus, GeneticsHearing Loss and RehabilitationNeural dynamics and brain function