The Morris–Lecar model is a biological neuron model developed by Catherine Morris and Harold Lecar to reproduce the variety of oscillatory behavior in relation to Ca++ and K+ conductance in the giant barnacle muscle fiber.[1] Morris-Lecar neurons exhibit both class I and class II neuron excitability.
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The Morris-Lecar experiments relied on the current clamp method established by Keynes et. al. (1973).[2]
Large specimens of the barnacle Balanus nubilus (Pacific Bio-Marine Laboratories Inc., Venice, Calif.) were used. The barnacle was sawed into lateral halves, and the depressor scutorum rostralis muscles were carefully exposed. Individual fibers were dissected, the incision starting from the tendon. The other end of the muscle was cut close to its attachment on the shell and ligatured. Isolated fibers were either used immediately or kept for up to 30 min in standard artificial seawater (ASW; see below) before use. Experiments were carried out at room temperature of -22 C.[1]
The Morris–Lecar model is a two-dimensional system of nonlinear differential equations. It is considered a simplified model compared to the four-dimensional Hodgkin-Huxley model.
Qualitatively, this system of equations describes the complex relationship between membrane potential and the activation of ion channels within the membrane: the potential depends on the activity of the ion channels, and the activity of the ion channels depends on the voltage. As bifurcation parameters are altered, different classes of neuron behavior are exhibited. τN is associated with the relative time scales of the firing dynamics, which varies broadly from cell to cell and exhibits significant temperature dependency.[3]
Quantitatively:

where
![\begin{align}
M_\mathrm{ss} & ~=~ \tfrac{1}{2} \cdot (1 + \tanh [\tfrac{V-V_1}{V_2} ]) \\
N_\mathrm{ss} & ~=~ \tfrac{1}{2} \cdot (1 + \tanh [\tfrac{V-V_3}{V_4} ]) \\
\tau_N & ~=~ 1 / ( \phi \cosh [\tfrac{V-V_3}{2V_4} ] )
\end{align}](http://wpcontent.answcdn.com/wikipedia/en/math/2/5/d/25d6570eb309b39ffcb00734c96ef616.png)
Note that the Mss and Nss equations may also be expressed as Mss = 1 + Exp[-2(V - V1) / V2]-1 and Nss = 1 + Exp[-2(V - V3) / V4]-1, however most authors prefer the form using the hyperbolic functions.
Bifurcation in the Morris–Lecar model have been analyzed with the applied current I, as the main bifurcation parameter and φ, gCa, V3, V4 as secondary parameters for phase plane analysis.[4]
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