GENESIS: Publication

Related Documentation:

De Schutter: Purkinje Cell Model

Abstract Item 4

In addition to spiking behavior, the model also produced slow plateau potentials in both the dendrite and soma. These longer-duration potentials occurred in response to both short and prolonged current steps. Analysis of the model demonstrated that the plateau potentials in the soma were caused by the window current component of the fast Na⁺ current, which was much larger than the current through the persistent Na⁺ channels. Plateau potentials in the dendrite were carried by the same P-type Ca²⁺ channel that was also responsible for Ca²⁺ spike generation. The P channel could participate in both model functions because of the low-threshold K2-type Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channel, which dynamically changed the threshold for dendritic spike generation through a negative feedback loop with the activation kinetics of the P-type Ca²⁺ channel.