Different responses of mice and rats hippocampus CA1 pyramidal neurons to in vitro and in vivo-like inputs

• Published in: Frontiers in cellular neuroscience Vol. 17; p. 1281932
• Main Authors: Vitale, Paola, Librizzi, Fabio, Vaiana, Andrea C., Capuana, Elisa, Pezzoli, Maurizio, Shi, Ying, Romani, Armando, Migliore, Michele, Migliore, Rosanna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 07.12.2023; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: Animal models; Cell culture; computational modeling; Computational neuroscience; electrophysiological features; Geographical distribution; Glucose; Hippocampus; Kinetics; Morphology; Neurons; Neuroscience; Optimization; Physiology; Pyramidal cells; pyramidal neurons; rodent comparison; Germany; pyramidal neurons; rodent comparison; electrophysiological features; hippocampus; computational modeling
• ISSN: 1662-5102; 1662-5102
• DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1281932

The fundamental role of any neuron within a network is to transform complex spatiotemporal synaptic input patterns into individual output spikes. These spikes, in turn, act as inputs for other neurons in the network. Neurons must execute this function across a diverse range of physiological conditions, often based on species-specific traits. Therefore, it is crucial to determine the extent to which findings can be extrapolated between species and, ultimately, to humans. In this study, we employed a multidisciplinary approach to pinpoint the factors accounting for the observed electrophysiological differences between mice and rats, the two species most used in experimental and computational research. After analyzing the morphological properties of their hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells, we conducted a statistical comparison of rat and mouse electrophysiological features in response to somatic current injections. This analysis aimed to uncover the parameters underlying these distinctions. Using a well-established computational workflow, we created ten distinct single-cell computational models of mouse CA1 pyramidal neurons, ready to be used in a full-scale hippocampal circuit. By comparing their responses to a variety of somatic and synaptic inputs with those of rat models, we generated experimentally testable hypotheses regarding species-specific differences in ion channel distribution, kinetics, and the electrophysiological mechanisms underlying their distinct responses to synaptic inputs during the behaviorally relevant Gamma and Sharp-Wave rhythms.