Spike initiation in a hippocampal interneuron model

Abstract

Interneurons are heterogeneous in their morphologies, biophysical properties and pharmacological sensitivities. Recently, the dendrites of the oriens/alveus interneuron have been shown to contain a high density of sodium and potassium channels. These active dendrites contribute to the various signals produced by this cell. The initiation of spikes and their back-propagation into the dendritic tree has not yet been explored in interneurons. We use a computational model of an oriens/alveus interneuron with appropriate passive properties, channels, and distributions to explore where spikes initiate. We show that spike initiation depends on both the location and amount of input in our model.