Simulations of the cultured granule neuron excitability

We have developed a biophysical model of a cultured rat cerebellar granule neuron and simulated its excitability under different experimental conditions. The basic excitability properties of such a small neuron; the specific action potential waveforms, the overall firing patterns induced by current stimulations, and the linear frequency-current relation, are the main model constraints. Simulations show that for a one-compartmental granule neuron model, the constraints are met using six voltage- and time-dependent ion channel types and calcium dynamics linked to BKCa ion channel function. This kind of model of a single neuron forms a solid basis for building the increasingly more complex network models of cultured neurons, and specifically for the cerebellar neuronal network. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.