# In silico modelling of neuron signal impact of cytokine storm-induced demyelination

## TL;DR

This study uses a computer model to show how cytokine storms from viral infections can damage neuron signals by causing demyelination.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a novel in silico model to analyze how cytokine storm-induced demyelination affects neuron signal propagation.

## Key findings

- Demyelination from cytokine storms reduces signal power and spiking rate in neurons.
- The proposed transfer function effectively models the weakening of action potential signals.
- Neuron communication is impaired as demyelination progresses, affecting information processing.

## Abstract

In this study, we develop an in silico model of a neuron’s behaviour under demyelination caused by a cytokine storm to investigate the effects of viral infections in the brain. We use a comprehensive model to measure how cytokine-induced demyelination affects the propagation of action potential (AP) signals within a neuron. We analysed the effects of neuron-neuron communications by applying information and communication theory at different levels of demyelination. Our simulations demonstrate that virus-induced degeneration can play a role in the signal power and spiking rate, which compromise the propagation and processing of information between neurons. We propose a transfer function to model the weakening effects on the AP. Our results show that demyelination induced by a cytokine storm not only degrades the signal but also impairs its propagation within the axon. Our proposed in silico model can analyse virus-induced neurodegeneration and enhance our understanding of virus-induced demyelination.