The Synaptic Plasticity Variability in a Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Model

Abstract

In this paper, we study computationally a mathematical model of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The PTSD is a common symptom resulted from a trauma or a long period of intense stress which leads to abnormal levels of hormonal secretion, especially in Cortisol. As a consequence, the neuronal electric activities also change due to variations in synaptic receptors regulated by hormone levels. We measure the hippocampal plasticity variability computationally through the synaptic spike-timing-dependent plasticity characterized in soma's calcium current in the neuronal system, and the results provide the evidence of long-term potentiation changes in a Hippocampus model due to PTSD.