Activity-dependent neurite outgrowth in a simple network model including excitation and inhibition

摘要

Empirical studies have demonstrated that electrical activity of the neuron can directly affect neurite outgrowth. In this paper the implications of activity-dependent outgrowth in a simple two-cell model are studied. The results show that the interaction among neurite outgrowth ('slow dynamics'), excitation and inhibition ('fast dynamics') can generate interesting dynamical behaviour, such as bistability, normal and 'bursting' oscillations. These features might be associated with two states of the network: a 'normal' and a 'pathological' one, where the last one shows epileptiform activity patterns.