A stochastic model for interacting neurons in the olfactory bulb

Biosystems. 2019 Nov:185:104030. doi: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2019.104030. Epub 2019 Sep 27.

Abstract

We focus on interacting neurons organized in a block-layered network devoted to the information processing from the sensory system to the brain. Specifically, we consider the firing activity of olfactory sensory neurons, periglomerular, granule and mitral cells in the context of the neuronal activity of the olfactory bulb. We propose and investigate a stochastic model of a layered and modular network to describe the dynamic behavior of each prototypical neuron, taking into account both its role (excitatory/inhibitory) and its location within the network. We adopt specific Gauss-Markov processes suitable to provide reliable estimates of the firing activity of the different neurons, given their linkages. Furthermore, we study the impact of selective excitation/inhibition on the information transmission by means of simulations and numerical estimates obtained through a Volterra integral approach.

Keywords: Coupled stochastic differential equations; First spiking time probability density; Gauss-Markov processes; Modified Leaky Integrate-and-Fire model.

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials / physiology*
  • Algorithms*
  • Animals
  • Computer Simulation
  • Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / physiology
  • Markov Chains
  • Models, Neurological*
  • Monte Carlo Method
  • Nerve Net / physiology*
  • Olfactory Bulb / cytology
  • Olfactory Bulb / physiology*
  • Olfactory Receptor Neurons / physiology*
  • Stochastic Processes