Pannexin 1 (Panx1), an ortholog to invertebrate innexin gap junctions, has recently been proposed be the pore induced by P2X 7 receptor (P2X R) activation. We explored pharmacological action of compounds known block junctions on Panx1 channels activated R and mechanisms involved in interaction between these two proteins. Whole cell recordings revealed distinct currents response agonists. Activation following stimulation or membrane depolarization was blocked small-interfering RNA (siRNA)...

Abstract Phase transitions and critical behavior are crucial issues both in theoretical experimental neuroscience. We report analytic computational results about phase self-organized criticality (SOC) networks with general stochastic neurons. The neuron has a firing probability given by smooth monotonic function Φ( V ) of the membrane potential , rather than sharp threshold. find that such can operate several dynamic regimes (phases) depending on average synaptic weight shape Φ. In...

The synaptic balance between excitation and inhibition (E/I balance) is a fundamental principle of cortical circuits, disruptions in E/I are commonly linked to cognitive deficits such as impaired decision-making. Explanatory gaps remain mechanistic understanding how contributes computations, at the level can propagate induce behavioral deficits. Here, we studied perturbations may impair perceptual decision-making biophysically-based association circuit model. We found that both elevating...

The Fitzhugh-Nagumo neuronal model is used to explore the influence of electric field on thermosensitive neurons' dynamics. This study investigates how affects polarization modulation in cell media induced by changes ion charge density adding electrical as a new variable. Driven voltage source acting an external stimulus current, different firing mode responses proposed are analyzed when applied. Through computational analysis, evaluates impact parameters such radius, amplitude, frequency,...

The following protocol was used in the study: Unraveling gait automaticity decline independent of cognitive Parkinson's disease: a study using new Affordable Neuro-movement Detection and Analysis (PANDA) system. This cross-sectional evaluated across disease (PD) stages, controlling for cognition, age, sex, education. Participants, grouped by Hoehn Yahr (H&Y) completed tests under two dual-task conditions (verbal fluency countdown tasks). Gait Performance Index (GPI), calculated from...

Background Sexual health is influenced by a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors, all which can be impacted Parkinson's disease (PD). Female sexual dysfunction includes reduced desire and/or arousal, pain during activity, or difficulty achieving orgasm. Despite its impact on quality life, in women with PD remains poorly understood. Objective To investigate the motor, non-motor, aspects PD. Methods We conducted cross-sectional study 100 (Hoehn Yahr stages 1–3)...

Abstract Many spiking neural network models are based on random graphs that do not include topological and structural properties featured in real brain networks. To turn these into spatial networks describe the topographic arrangement of connections is a challenging task because one has to deal with neurons at boundary. Addition space may generate spurious behavior like oscillations introduced by periodic boundary conditions or unbalanced neuronal due lack excess connections. Here, we...

Sensory arrays made of coupled excitable elements can improve both their input sensitivity and dynamic range due to collective nonlinear wave properties. This mechanism is studied in a neural network electrically (e.g., via gap junctions) subject Poisson signal process. The response interpolates between Weber-Fechner logarithmic law, Stevens power law depending on the relative refractory period cell. Therefore, these transformations level could be performed sensory periphery simply basic...

Background: Sexual health (SH) is influenced by several biological, mental, and social factors that may be negatively impacted Parkinson’s disease (PD). Despite its prevalence relevance for quality of life, the affect SH in men with PD (MwPD) are still poorly understood. Objectives: To investigate impact motor, non-motor, aspects on MwPD. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study 80 (mean-age 53.55±10.8) stages 1–3 Hoehn Yahr classification (H&Y), who reported having an active sex...

Food is an essential part of civilization, with a scope that ranges from the biological to economic and cultural levels. Here, we study statistics ingredients recipes taken Brazilian, British, French Medieval cookery books. We find universal distributions scale invariant behaviour. propose copy-mutate process model culinary evolution fits our empirical data very well. 'founder effect' produced by non-equilibrium dynamics model. Both idiosyncratic aspects culture are accounted for model,...

Recent works suggest that one of the roles gap junctions in sensory systems is to enhance their dynamic range by avoiding early saturation first processing stages. In this work, we use a minimal conductance-based model ON rod pathways vertebrate retina study effects electrical synaptic coupling via among rods and AII amacrine cells on retina. The also used maximum conductance hyperpolarization activated current I(h) retina, allowing interrelations between intrinsic membrane parameter with...

Temporal lobe epilepsy strongly affects hippocampal dentate gyrus granule cells morphology. These exhibit seizure-induced anatomical alterations including mossy fiber sprouting, changes in the apical and basal dendritic tree suffer substantial spine loss. The effect of some these on hyperexcitability has been widely studied. For example, sprouting increases excitability circuit while loss may have opposite effect. However, interplay different morphological is still unknown. Here we adapted...

The cerebral cortex exhibits neural activity even in the absence of external stimuli. This self-sustained is characterized by irregular firing individual neurons and population oscillations with a broad frequency range. Questions that arise this context, are: What are mechanisms responsible for existence neuronal spiking without input? Do these depend on structural organization cortical connections? they intrinsic characteristics neurons? To approach answers to questions, we have used...

Spontaneous cortical population activity exhibits a multitude of oscillatory patterns, which often display synchrony during slow-wave sleep or under certain anesthetics and stay asynchronous quiet wakefulness. The mechanisms behind these states transitions among them are not completely understood. Here we study spontaneous patterns in random networks spiking neurons mixed types modeled by Izhikevich equations. Neurons coupled conductance-based synapses subject to synaptic noise. We localize...

We present CarmelTC, a novel hybrid text classification approach for analyzing essay answers to qualitative physics questions, which builds upon work presented in (Rosé et al., 2002a).CarmelTC learns classify units of based on features extracted from syntactic analysis that as well Naive Bayes text.We explore the tradeoffs between symbolic and "bag words" approaches.Our goal has been combine strengths both these approaches while avoiding some weaknesses.Our evaluation demonstrates CarmelTC...

The vertebrate retina has a very high dynamic range. This is due to the concerted action of its diverse cell types. Ganglion cells, which are output cells retina, have preserve this range convey it higher brain areas. Experimental evidence shows that firing response ganglion strongly correlated with their total dendritic area and only weakly branching complexity. On other hand, theoretical studies simple neuron models claim active large trees enhance single neurons. Theoretical also...

Abstract Long-term depression (LTD) and long-term potentiation (LTP) of granule-Purkinje cell synapses are persistent synaptic alterations induced by high low rises the intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca 2+ ]), respectively. The occurrence LTD involves activation a positive feedback loop formed protein kinase C, phospholipase A 2 extracellular signal-regulated pathway its expression comprises reduction population AMPA receptors. Recently, stochastic computational model these...

Abstract Background Disruption of the synaptic balance between excitation and inhibition (E/I balance) in cortical circuits is a leading hypothesis for pathophysiologies neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. However, it poorly understood how E/I disruptions propagate upward to induce cognitive deficits, including impaired decision making (DM). Methods We investigated perturbations may impair temporal integration evidence during perceptual DM biophysically-based model association...

Recurrent networks of spiking neurons can be in an asynchronous state characterized by low or absent cross-correlations and spike statistics which resemble those cortical neurons. Although spatial correlations are negligible this state, show pronounced temporal their trains that quantified the autocorrelation function spike-train power spectrum. Depending on cellular network parameters, display diverse patterns (ranging from simple refractory-period effects stochastic oscillations to slow...