Activity-dependent regulation decreases metabolic cost in the auditory brainstem

Neuronal computation of information is metabolically expensive. In parallel to computation, activity-dependent modulation of neuronal excitability occurs to adapt neural responses and possibly optimize metabolic cost. In this study, we focus on the metabolic cost of electrophysiological activity during the modulatory effect of nitric oxide in the auditory brainstem. The model describes the glycolysis and mitochondrial activity, the main means of adenosine triphosphate synthesis, in response to electrophysiological stimulation of a neuron in the control case or in the presence of nitric oxide. The model permits the evaluation of adenosine triphosphate variation at different stages of the metabolic pathway, and shows that nitric oxide not only avoids transmission failures at high frequency stimulation but also decreases the metabolic cost of neuronal firing.