A computational role for slow conductances: single-neuron models that measure duration.

Full Abstract

Humans effortlessly interpret speech and music, whose patterns can contain sound durations up to thousands of milliseconds. How nervous systems measure such long durations is unclear. We show here that model neurons containing physiological slow conductances are 'naturally' sensitive to duration, replicate known duration-sensitive neurons and can be 'tuned' to respond to a wide range of specific durations. In addition, these models reproduce several other properties of duration-sensitive neurons not selected for in model construction. These data, and the widespread presence of slow conductances in nervous systems, suggest that slow conductances might play a major role in duration measurement.

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Author information

Author/s: Hooper, Scott L (SL); Buchman, Einat (E); Hobbs, Kevin H (KH);

Affiliation: Neuroscience Program, Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701 USA. hooper(-atsign-)ohio.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Nature neuroscience (Nat Neurosci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Jun; vol 5 (issue 6) : pp 552-6

Dates: Created 2002/05/30; Completed 2002/06/19; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 11992113, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Neurons, Afferent - physiology
Reaction Time
Time Perception - physiology

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