THE CONCEPT OF DECISION POINTS - INTRODUCTION

The computational function of dendritic trees is analyzed here using the novel concept of DENDRITIC DECISION POINTS. At these points, including the soma as a special case, nonlinear operations that are triggered by local voltage take place (e.g., activation of NMDA receptors, activating of voltage-dependent channels, etc.). Using a novel analytical approach for analyzing dendritic transients, called the METHOD OF MOMENTS, we demonstrate the use of the concept of decision points in several neuron types (cerebellar Purkinje cells, cortical pyramidal cells and hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells). We refer to the following problems:
  1. How to determine the dendritic region whose inputs will affect a given decision point, and what is the effectiveness of these inputs?
  2. What is the input synchronization required at different decision points in the tree?
  3. What is the "cost", in terms of delay and attenuation, that results from moving a synapse from the soma to the dendrites (from the soma "view point")?
The METHOD OF MOMENTS, combined with the CONCEPT OF DECISION POINTS, is a powerful and general tool for understanding the computational function of dendritic trees.

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