Abstract
In this paper we analyze the interplay between the subthreshold oscillations of a single neuron conductance-based model and the short-term plasticity of a dynamic synapse with a depressing mechanism. In previous research, the computational properties of subthreshold oscillations and dynamic synapses have been studied separately. Our results show that dynamic synapses can influence different aspects of the dynamics of neuronal subthreshold oscillations. Factors such as maximum hyperpolarization level, oscillation amplitude and frequency or the resulting firing threshold are modulated by synaptic depression, which can even make subthreshold oscillations disappear. This influence reshapes the postsynaptic neuron’s resonant properties arising from subthreshold oscillations and leads to specific input/output relations. We also study the neuron’s response to another simultaneous input in the context of this modulation, and show a distinct contextual processing as a function of the depression, in particular for detection of signals through weak synapses. Intrinsic oscillations dynamics can be combined with the characteristic time scale of the modulatory input received by a dynamic synapse to build cost-effective cell/channel-specific information discrimination mechanisms, beyond simple resonances. In this regard, we discuss the functional implications of synaptic depression modulation on intrinsic subthreshold dynamics.
Highlights
Subthreshold oscillations can be observed in many neuron types and have been proposed to participate in distinct information processing mechanisms both at the single neuron and network levels [1,2,3,4]
The response of a neuron with subthreshold oscillations to input arriving through a dynamic synapse can largely depend on the level of synaptic depression
As a first step to characterize the interplay between subthreshold oscillations and short-term synaptic depression, we show in Fig 1 several representative examples of the distinct resonant response as a function of the depression level as specified by the value of τrec
Summary
Subthreshold oscillations can be observed in many neuron types and have been proposed to participate in distinct information processing mechanisms both at the single neuron and network levels [1,2,3,4]. The interplay between the intrinsic dynamics that shape the subthreshold oscillations and incoming input with a specific temporal structure can give rise to information discrimination properties in single neurons [5, 6]. Subthreshold oscillations are present in a large variety of cell types in the nervous system and possibly arise from different subcellular and network origins [7,8,9,10,11,12]. In the PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0145830 January 5, 2016
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