PHGY 314 Lecture 23: Chacron - lecture 23
11 Feb 2017
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Document Summary
The ability of the body or a cell to seek and maintain a condition of equilibrium or stability within its internal enviro when dealing with external changes. We want neurons to stay within a target firing rate despite changes in synaptic input. Excitation = synaptic drive is increased, the neuron will fire more aps and then a homeostatic mechanism will bring the firing rate back down (the opposite is also true) Expt: take neurons out of a brain and culture them in a dish. They will form a small interconnected network and we can record from various neurons in the preparation. It is apparent that even these small networks of neurons have the basic mechanisms for homeostasis. Spiking activity develops spontaneously in cortical cultures: ttx = na channel antag, bicuculine = gabaa antag, restricting spiking activity increases excitability, promoting spiking activity decreases excitability, this is all caused by synaptic scaling.
