Spike transmission between electrically coupled sensory neurons is improved by filter properties.

Abstract

In the nervous system, neurons are organized in networks by way of connections constituted by chemical and electrical synapses. We use biological and mathematical models to study electrical synaptic communication and its determinants. In particular, we show how non-synaptic components of a neural circuit generate a band-pass filter behavior and shape action potential transmission between neurons of the mesencephalic trigeminal (MesV) nucleus of rodents. The dynamic modulation of these properties could be used as an inspiration for artificial neural networks with electrical synapses.