readme.txt

Readme for the octave code associated with the publication

Toth TI, Crunelli V.  Estimation of the activation and 
kinetic properties of I(Na) and I(K) from the time course
of the action potential.
J Neurosci Methods. 2001 Oct 30;111(2):111-26.

School of Biosciences, Physiology Unit, Cardiff University, 
P.O. Box 911, CF10 3US, Cardiff, UK. toth@cardiff.ac.uk

Abstract:

A detailed knowledge of the quantitative properties of the 
currents I(Na) and I(K) underlying the action potential is 
essential for a deeper understanding of neuronal excitatory
 processes. However, it is not always possible or practical
 to perform voltage-clamp measurements that usually provide
 the necessary data. In this paper, we present a method by
which the activation and kinetic properties of these 
currents can be estimated from current-clamp data, more 
precisely from the time course of the action potential, 
provided some additional electrophysiological properties
of the neurone are a priori known. We report results from
thalamocortical neurones and a cortical pyramidal cell, 
and suggest that the method will work with other types of 
neurones, if their action potentials are primarily shaped 
by I(Na) and I(K).

Please see the file users_guide.txt for usage instructions.

These files were supplied by Dr T.I. Toth.