Filipa dos Santos
School of Computing and Mathematics
Modelling the restoration of activity in a biological neural network
Understanding the mechanisms of restoration of activity in biological neural systems
following exposure to damage is key for design of future neuro-prosthetic devices
and restorative treatments. The pyloric rhythm network within the crustacean
stomatogastric ganglion is a biological neural system that shows spontaneous
restoration of activity following the stopping of inputs from higher control ganglia. We
model the restoration of the activity in this network using conductance-based models
of neurons and the alteration of conductance parameters of the model. Our analysis
shows that this approach works only if some of the conductance values remain
constrained following the stopping of higher inputs. Our model also shows that in
order to model the restoration of the activity in this network it is not necessary to rely
on elaborated alterations of the mechanisms of calcium ionic currents in the model,
which was proposed previously.
Postgraduate Conference 2016
Page 27