Neuronal plasticity features are independent of neuronal holding membrane potential

Abstract

Dynamical reversible neuronal features in vitro are typically examined using a fixed holding membrane potential, imitating the physiological conditions of intact brains in an awake state. Here, a set of neuronal plasticity features in synaptic blocked cultures are found to be independent of the holding membrane potential in the range [−95, −50] mV. Specifically, dendritic maximal firing frequency and its absolute refractory period are independent of the holding membrane potential. In addition, the stimulation threshold is also independent of the holding membrane potential in neurons that do not show membrane depolarization in response to sub-threshold stimulations. These robust dendritic plasticity features are a prerequisite for neuronal modeling and for their utilization in interconnected neural networks to realize higher-order functionalities.