Thread by @dendritesgr

Hello #dendrites friends! Check out our new paper, published at @NatureComms : "Challenging the point neuron dogma: FS basket cells as 2-stage neural networks. nature.com/articles/s4146…

Briefly, we predicted through #computational simulations that the #dendrites of #Fast_spiking #interneurons in #Hippocampal #CA3 and #PFC areas come in two #nonlinear flavors: Supralinear and sublinear!

This bimodal nonlinear behavior is determined by differences in the morphology (volume) of the dendritc branches. These differences can causally enable or prohibit the existence of #sodium_spikes. Interestingly, both types coexist in all model neurons tested!

Despite the "#pyramidal like story" our simulations predicted that FS BCs are more sensitive to a #disperse like arrangments of #synaptic inputs rather than a grouped (#clustering) one! Yes, interneurons seems to be opposite to pyramidals but still complex!

These findings drove us to ask if the previous "dogma" that interneurons are just "on-off" point controllers is indeed an accurate description to capture the firing behavior of that inhibitory class.

We predicted that these neurons can be better explained by a 2 stage artificial neural network where supralinear and sublinear dendrites are modelled as 2 hidden layers. This finding challenge the point neuron hypothesis that wants interneurons to be "simple"

Our large-scale network model, predicted that the existence of bimodal nonlinear dendrites in these neurons can act beneficially for the engram formation during associative memory processes

Thanks to our PI @YiotaPoirazi and team members @ATzilivaki and @g_kastel22 who did the work .
This beautiful research was supported by @ERC_Research Starting Grant "demory".