Dendritic signal transmission induced by intracellular charge inhomogeneities

TL;DR

This paper introduces a modified cable equation accounting for charge inhomogeneities near ion channels, revealing that these inhomogeneities can induce propagating waves and resonance phenomena in neuronal dendrites.

Contribution

It presents a new model incorporating intracellular charge inhomogeneities, demonstrating their role in wave propagation and resonance in dendritic signal transmission.

Findings

Charge inhomogeneities can generate propagating waves in dendrites.

Waves have wavelengths of hundreds of micrometers.

Resonant properties are predicted in specific frequency bands.

Abstract

Signal propagation in neuronal dendrites represents the basis for interneuron communication and information processing in the brain. Here we take into account charge inhomogeneities arising in the vicinity of ion channels in cytoplasm and obtained a modified cable equation. We show that the charge inhomogeneities acting on the millisecond time scale can lead to the appearance of propagating waves with wavelengths of hundreds of micrometers. They correspond to a certain frequency band predicting the appearance of resonant properties in brain neuron signalling.