Energy efficiency of information transmission by electrically coupled neurons

TL;DR

This study investigates the energy consumption and information transfer efficiency of neurons modeled by Hindmarsh-Rose dynamics, both isolated and coupled via electrical synapses, revealing optimal coupling conditions for energy-efficient signaling.

Contribution

It introduces an energy function for a Hindmarsh-Rose neuron model and analyzes energy and information transfer in coupled neurons, highlighting conditions for optimal energetic efficiency.

Findings

Identified coupling strengths that maximize information-to-energy ratio.

Coupled neurons can signal efficiently at specific electrical coupling levels.

Energy consumption varies with neuronal coupling and signaling regimes.

Abstract

The generation of spikes by neurons is energetically a costly process. This paper studies the consumption of energy and the information entropy in the signalling activity of a model neuron both when it is supposed isolated and when it is coupled to another neuron by an electrical synapse. The neuron has been modelled by a four dimensional Hindmarsh-Rose type kinetic model for which an energy function has been deduced. For the isolated neuron values of energy consumption and information entropy at different signalling regimes have been computed. For two neurons coupled by a gap junction we have analyzed the roles of the membrane and synapse in the contribution of the energy that is required for their organized signalling. Computational results are provided for cases of identical and nonidentical neurons coupled by unidirectional and bidirectional gap junctions. One relevant result is that there are values of the coupling strength at which the organized signalling of two neurons induced by the gap junction takes place at relatively low values of energy consumption and the ratio of mutual information to energy consumption is relatively high. Therefore, communicating at these coupling values could be energetically the most efficient option.