Mechanisms, Symbols, and Models Underlying Cognition

Abstract

Traditional techniques to stimulate neurons in Neuroscience include current injection using several protocols. In most cases, although neurons are able to react to any stimulus in the physiological range, it is difficult to assess to what extent the response is a natural output to the processing of the input or just an awkward reaction to a foreign signal. In experiments that try to study the precise temporal relationships between the stimulus and the output pattern, it is crucial to use realistic stimulation protocols. Dynamic-clamp is a relatively recent method in electrophysiology to mimic the presence of ionic or synaptic conductances in a cell membrane through the injection of a controlled current waveform. Here we present a set of advanced dynamic-clamp protocols for realistic stimulation of cells that allow from the addition of single and multiple ionic or synaptic conductances, to the reconfiguration of circuits and bidirectional communication of living cells with model neurons including plasticity mechanisms.