Simulation of innervation and activation scenarios of morphologically detailed, large-scale neuron networks in a column of the primary somatosensory cortex with NeuroDUNE
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1
University of Heidelberg, Parallel Computing Group, Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, Germany
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2
Max Planck Florida Institute, Department of Digital Neuroanatomy, United States
To understand and describe how the cortex processes sensory information about its environment
within functional explanatory models and to understand how the model structure can be related to
behavior is of special interest in neuroscience. The information related to the deflection of a single
facial whisker on the snout of rodents (e.g. mice and rats) is processed by a network of about 17500
neurons (in rat), substructured by 9 distinct cell types in a cortical column.
We present numerical simulations of morphological detailed, large-scale neuron networks. Network
generation is based on experimentally determined 3D neuron distributions. Furthermore, individual
network cells are derived from anatomically reconstructed and then quantitatively classified
neuronal cell-types. Synapse densities are statistically distributed on each cell according to
measured anatomical and functional data. As example of a quantitatively determined microcircuit
we simulate the thalamocortical pathway (VPM) providing excitatory input to the networks in
barrel cortex.
Since no definitive information about the innervation is present we investigate several innervation
scenarios in relation to the network response. Network activation is analyzed with regard to
biophysically relevant quantities such as subthreshold response, number of activated synapses as
well as spike output of the VPM-activated network.
The previously described statistical approach to build networks necessitates Monte-Carlo simulation
to determine quantities of interest by ensemble averaging. An ensemble individual consists hereby
of a single large-scale network realisation consisting of morphologically detailed neurons activated
by the driving VPM cells with multivariate statistical wiring.
To perform simulations and analyse responses of distinct ensemble series we use the numerical
framework, NeuroDUNE, that has been developed to enable modeling and simulation of signal
processing in such large-scale, full-compartmental neuron networks on sub cellular basis.
Figure !: Left: Morphological detailed L5B cell with statistically constrained synapse distribution (red dots).
Middle Left: Subthreshold activation of a small network of 60 L5B cells.
Middle Right: Column response to VPM activation, spiking cell somata in green.
Right: Relationship between cell specific quantities and cell activation: number of synapses (blue), number of activated synapses (green). Spike times as red marks indicate cell response (ms from whisker deflection).
Keywords:
computational neuroscience
Conference:
Bernstein Conference on Computational Neuroscience, Berlin, Germany, 27 Sep - 1 Oct, 2010.
Presentation Type:
Poster Abstract
Topic:
Bernstein Conference on Computational Neuroscience
Citation:
Lang
S,
Oberlaender
M,
Bastian
P and
Sakmann
B
(2010). Simulation of innervation and activation scenarios of morphologically detailed, large-scale neuron networks in a column of the primary somatosensory cortex with NeuroDUNE.
Front. Comput. Neurosci.
Conference Abstract:
Bernstein Conference on Computational Neuroscience.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fncom.2010.51.00014
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Received:
22 Sep 2010;
Published Online:
23 Sep 2010.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Stefan Lang, University of Heidelberg, Parallel Computing Group, Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, Heidelberg, Germany, Stefan.Lang@iwr.uni-heidelberg.de