An integrate-and-fire model of a cerebellar granule cell

Michele Bezzi, Thierry Nieus, Olivier J. M. D. Coenen, Egidio D'Angelo

Abstract: We present a simple spiking model that extends the classical integrate-and-fire neuron to reproduce the different dynamical behaviors observed in cerebellar granule cells. The model is two dimensional: in addition to the membrane potential V, we consider a gating variable that models a slow K+ current. This current plays a major role in generating the rhythmic behavior and resonance in the model. Despite its simplicity this model is able to reproduce most of the properties observed in granule cell recordings and in numerical simulations with high-dimensional Hodgkin–Huxley models.