How neuronal morphology impacts the synchronisation state of neuronal networks.

The biophysical properties of neurons not only affect how information is processed within cells, they can also impact the dynamical states of the network. Specifically, the cellular dynamics of action-potential generation have shown relevance for setting the (de)synchronisation state of the network. The dynamics of tonically spiking neurons typically fall into one of three qualitatively distinct types that arise from distinct mathematical bifurcations of voltage dynamics at the onset of spiking.

Low-rate firing limit for neurons with axon, soma and dendrites driven by spatially distributed stochastic synapses.

Analytical forms for neuronal firing rates are important theoretical tools for the analysis of network states. Since the 1960s, the majority of approaches have treated neurons as being electrically compact and therefore isopotential. These approaches have yielded considerable insight into how single-cell properties affect network activity; however, many neuronal classes, such as cortical pyramidal cells, are electrically extended objects.