Work

Dimensionality reduction of neuronal degeneracy reveals two interfering physiological mechanisms

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Neuronal systems maintain stable functions despite large variability in their physiological components. Ion channel expression, in particular, is highly variable in neurons exhibiting similar electrophysiological phenotypes, which raises questions regarding how specific ion channel subsets reliably shape intrinsic properties of neurons. Here, we use detailed conductance-based modeling to explore how stable neuronal function is achieved despite variability in channel composition among neurons. Using dimensionality reduction, we uncover two principal dimensions in the channel conductance space that capture most of the variance of the observed variability. These two dimensions correspond to two sources of variability that originate from distinct physiologically relevant mechanisms underlying the regulation of neuronal activity, providing quantitative insights into how channel composition is linked to the electrophysiological activity of neurons. These insights allow us to understand and design a model-independent, reliable neuromodulation rule for variable neuronal populations.

Source: PNAS Nexus

DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae415

Authors: Arthur Fyon, Alessio Franci, Pierre Sacré, Guillaume Drion

Institution: University of Liège

Language: English

Topic: Ion channel regulation and function

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $4,192

Funder: Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS