Neuron types (e.g., pyramidal cells) within one area of the brain are often considered homogeneous, despite variability in their biophysical properties. Here we review literature demonstrating variability in the electrical activity of CA1 hippocampal pyramidal cells (PCs), including responses to somatic current injection, synaptic stimulation, and spontaneous network-related activity. In addition, we describe how responses of CA1 PCs vary with development, experience, and aging, and some of the underlying ionic currents responsible. Finally, we suggest directions that may be the most impactful in expanding this knowledge, including the use of text and data mining to systematically study cellular heterogeneity in more depth; dynamical systems theory to understand and potentially classify neuron firing patterns; and mathematical modeling to study the interaction between cellular properties and network output. Our goals are to provide a synthesis of the literature for experimentalists studying CA1 PCs, to give theorists an idea of the rich diversity of behaviors models may need to reproduce to accurately represent these cells, and to provide suggestions for future research.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/625990 |
| Date | 19 September 2017 |
| Creators | McKiernan, Erin C., Marrone, Diano F. |
| Contributors | Univ Arizona, McKnight Brain Inst, Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México, Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada |
| Publisher | PEERJ INC |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Article |
| Rights | © 2017 McKiernan and Marrone. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. |
| Relation | https://peerj.com/articles/3836 |
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