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NJIT Mathematical Biology Seminar

Tuesday, March 23, 2010, 2:30pm
Cullimore Hall 611
New Jersey Institute of Technology

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Fast oscillations in the cerebellar Purkinje cell layer: network versus single cell mechanisms

Srdjan Ostojic

Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, New York University

Neural activity in the brain exhibits a rich dynamic repertoire, notable examples being sustained activity and oscillations. Both network and single cell mechanisms have been proposed to play a role in these dynamic phenomena, but disentangling the respective contributions experimentally is in general difficult. In this talk, I will concentrate on high frequency oscillations in the Purkinje cell network in vivo. Recent experimental and modeling studies have suggested that these 200 Hz oscillations are an instance of a general mechanism of fast, sparse oscillations in networks of inhibitory neurons. While fast oscillations are a general network phenomenon, the specific properties of the Purkinje cells turn out to play a key role in allowing their onset. Indeed, in vitro recordings reveal that Purkinje cells selectively amplify hi-frequency somatic inputs, thus facilitating the generation of oscillations in the network. Computational modeling indicates that this amplification is due to a novel mechanism based on a separation of timescales between the somatic and dendritic compartment dynamics. This separation of timescales arises from the specific morphology of the Purkinje cell.