How to keep cool in hot situations: temperature compensation in grasshopper auditory neurons Susanne Schreiber Humboldt-Universität and Bernstein Center Berlin Tübingen, July 7th 2012
Acoustic communication in grasshoppers Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Reliable mate recognition ... in warm ... ... and cold environments. Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
The grasshopper auditory periphery The auditory periphery consists of a simple feed-forward network: Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Temperature-dependence in the receiver Ion-channel dynamics depend on temperature. Neuronal activity is hence likely to depend on temperature too. Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Quantifying temperature-dependence Relative firing-rate change: (RMS) Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Experimental findings (receptor neurons): Relative change in firing rate: Monika Eberhard relative change (spike rate) cell count cell count Q10-value (spike rate) Receptor neurons are surprisingly temperature invariant. Given the feedforward structure of the network, invariance must arise from cell-intrinsic properties. Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Can temperature invariance be cell-intrinsic?
Study of single-neuron models Connor-Stevens model with 9 temperature-dependent parameters (peak conductances and rates). Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Model analysis Introduce temperature dependence for peak conductances and transition rates. Simulate parameter combinations in the physiological range. Question: Can temperature invariance of the firing rate arise? Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Results of the model analysis Frederic Römschied Distribution of firing rate changes across all models: relative change (spike rate) model count Temperature invariance as observed experimentally (about 30%) is possible. But what are the mechanisms? Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Relative firing-rate change as a function of all parameters Visualization: Dimensional stacking. Different parameters are represented on different scales of the image. relative change (spike rate) Impact of parameters: Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Is temperature invariance metabolically expensive?
Quantification of energy-efficiency 1. Total Na current (total energy consumption). 2. Overlap between Na and K currents (separability). Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Energy-efficiency is possible Distribution of changes in energy consumption across: firing-rate invariant models: (relative change < 40%) relative consumption count not firing-rate invariant models: (relative change > 40%) relative consumption count Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Parameters influencing energy consumption relative energy consumption Sodium channel temperature-dependence has a large influence on neural energy-efficiency. Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Two examples Two models with similar temperature invariance ... ... but different energy efficiency. Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Key players for temperature invariance and energy efficiency are not the same Largely different parameters determine temperature invariance and energy efficiency. Temperature-invariant models can be energy efficient! Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Summary Grasshopper receptor neurons are surprisingly invariant to changes in temperature. This temperature invariance must be cell-intrinsic (no network input). Some ion channels are particularly suited to mediate temperature invariance (potassium channels). Energy-efficiency and temperature invariance of spike rate are not incompatible (mechanisms are largely independent). Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
The computational neurophysiology group
Thanks to The lab: Sven Blankenburg Katharina Glomb, Janina Hesse, Eric Reifenstein, Michiel Remme, Frederic Roemschied, Fabian Santi, Katharina Wilmes, Wei Wu, Dmitry Zarubin, Ekaterina Zhuchkova Collaborators: Bernhard Ronacher (Humboldt-University) Monika Eberhard (Humboldt-University) Dietmar Schmitz (Charite Berlin) Richard Kempter (Humboldt-University) Ines Samengo (Bariloche, Argentina) Andreas Herz (LMU Munich), Irina Erchova (University of Edinburgh, UK), Tania Engel (Stanford University) BMBF: Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, BPCN, BFNL DFG: SFB 618, GK1589
Further improvement by mechanotransduction + Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Other projects in the group Insects: Entorhinal cortex: subthreshold resonance: - spatial dependence, - information transfer phase precession in grid cells population coding in the auditory periphery of the grasshopper: summed population versus labeled line insect cellular morphology Heart: ion channel cooperativity Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Temperature affects grasshopper communication Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin
Receptor neurons are most temperature-invariant Given the feedforward structure of the network, temperature robustness in receptor neurons must arise from cell-intrinsic properties. Susanne Schreiber, BCCN Berlin