| Abstract | Peripheral nociceptive neurons have electrophysiological properties that differ from the behavior of other sensory neurons. In particular, slower kinetics, larger overshoots and hyperpolarization. Furthermore, they show characteristic responses to dynamic stimulation, characteristic patterns of oscillation. A number of conductances (ion channels) have been proposed to mediate the behavior. Here we present the method of sensitivity analysis applied to an extended Hodgkin-Huxley model, evaluating the effects of a number of parameter variations. In particular, we compare the relative effects of ion channel type, density, and modulation on nociceptive neuronal output, during both deterministic and stochastic stimulation. We estimate the likelihood of competing models within a multivariate parameter space. Finally, we discuss the implications for neuronal information processing, considering the relations between sensitivty analysis and information theory. |
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