Optimal area and intrinsic coherent resonance of neurons due to ion channel noise under an external stimulus

Abstract

In this paper, we study the intrinsic coherence resonance of neurons due to ion channel noise under an external stimulus. We find that the external stimulus cannot only increase the spiking coherence of neurons but also increase the optimal area of neuronal membrane for maximal spiking coherence. The optimal membrane area is approximately 3 µm2 without the external stimulus. However, when the external stimulus is 6 µA/cm2, the optimal membrane area is approximately 400 µm2. Because 400 µm2 is the area of a common neuronal soma, our finding has a realistic meaning. Under the external stimulus, common neurons have an optimized conformation to guarantee maximal spiking coherence and the best sub-threshold signal encoding.