Suprathreshold stochastic resonance induced by ion channel fluctuation

In this study, we examine the signal detection ability of an array of neurons with intrinsic channel fluctuation. Numerical simulations show that estimation of the input signal from the output spiking activity of the neuronal array is most accurate if a proper amount of channel noise exists. Theoretical calculation of the mutual and Fisher information confirms the effect of the noise-aided information transfer in the array, or the presence of suprathreshold stochastic resonance. These results indicate that the channel noise, which induces response variability, may play an essential role in population coding. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.