Spikes too kinky in the cortex?

Abstract

The Hodgkin–Huxley theory that explains the mechanism of how neurons fire forms the cornerstone of computational neuroscience. But something it hasn't predicted is happening in the brain cortex. Neurons in the brain communicate via electric pulses or action potentials of a fraction of a volt, that last about a thousandth of a second. In 1952, Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley received a share in the Nobel prize for their theory of action potential generation, developed from work on the squid giant axon. Ever since it has been tacitly assumed that nerve impulses are generated in much the same way in all animals from slugs to humans. Now a study of the cortical neurons of higher animals suggests that this assumption may need to be revised. Key features of cortical action potential initiation depart from predictions of the Hodgkin–Huxley theory, as the neurons are much more tailored for fast information processing than was assumed.