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A PENS Neuroscience School.

August 6th - August 31st, 2007

Arcachon, France

Diaz-Quesada Marta
Email mdiazumh.es
Gender Female
Nationality Spain
Year of birth 1980
Department Cellular and Systems Neurobiology
University Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante
Country (of work) Spain
Simulation Project Title Single-neuron models of adaptive gain rescaling.
Type of model One-compartmental model single cell
Description Adaptation of a neurons firing rate often occurs with changes in its stimulus-response relationship, e.g., tuning curve gain rescaling. Whether adaptation and gain rescaling are caused by the same mechanisms is often unclear. Rescaling can be an automatic property of spike generation and can occur in integrate-and-fire neurons. I aim to explore gain modulation in spiking models and use the results to predict if experimental examples of rescaling are automatic or need additional mechanisms.
Why complementary I study how intrinsic mechanisms participate in adaptation in barrel cortex. Using whole-cell patch recordings in slices, I found that neurons firing rates adapt to changes in stimulus distribution, a behavior caused by intrinsic properties. This adaptation occurs together with gain rescaling in the neurons tuning functions. We do not know whether the phenomena are due to the same mechanisms. This project would give me insight into my experimental results and help me in future predictions.
Tutor Janet Best


Computational Neuroscience: