Rules and roles of dendritic spikes in CA1 pyramidal cells: A computational study

Abstract

The presence of dendritic spikes in pyramidal cells modifies the classical concepts of dendritic integration but the strong non-linear behaviour makes difficult the experimental study. A number of factors control their initiation and spread. We explore here with an experimentally calibrated model the relation of these spikes to cell output during synchronous input and spontaneous firing. A small number of firing dendrites within a reduced timescale is enough to cause cell output. We show that dendritic inhibition and modulation of the excitability at the main apical shaft offer a wide variety of input-output relations. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.