A simple stochastic model of spatially complex neurons

A method for studying the coding properties of a multicompartmental integrate-and-fire neuron of arbitrary geometry is presented. Depolarization at each compartment evolves like a leaky integrator with an after-firing reset imposed only at the trigger zone. The frequency of firing at the steady-state regime is related to the properties of the multidimensional input. The decreasing variability of subthreshold depolarization from the dendritic tree to the trigger zone is shown for an input that is corrupted by a white noise. The role of a Poissonian noise is also investigated. The proposed method gives an estimate of the mean interspike interval that can be used to study the input-output transfer function of the system. Both types of the stochastic inputs result in broadening the transfer function with respect to the deterministic case.