Metabolic cost as a unifying principle governing neuronal biophysics

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 107; no. 27; pp. 12329 - 12334
• Main Authors: Hasenstaub, Andrea, Otte, Stephani, Callaway, Edward, Sejnowski, Terrence J., Marder, Eve
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 06.07.2010; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Action potentials; Action Potentials - physiology; Algorithms; Animals; Biological Sciences; Biophysics; Brain; Brain - cytology; Computer Simulation; Cost functions; Energy; energy expenditure; Energy Metabolism; interneurons; Ion channels; Ion Channels - physiology; Kinetics; Membrane Potentials - physiology; Metabolism; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Minimization of cost; Models, Neurological; Neurons; Neurons - metabolism; Neurons - physiology; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Potassium - metabolism; Potassium channels; Potassium Channels - physiology; Sodium; Sodium - metabolism; Sodium channels; Sodium Channels - physiology; Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase - metabolism

The brain contains an astonishing diversity of neurons, each expressing only one set of ion channels out of the billions of potential channel combinations. Simple organizing principles are required for us to make sense of this abundance of possibilities and wealth of related data. We suggest that en...