PPT Slide
Neurons having similar ionic currents may have quite different qualitative behavior.
Bifurcation analysis could provide information about neuro-computational properties of neurons that is not evident from the analysis of ionic currents.
Despite many ionic mechanisms, there are only two dynamic (bifurcation) mechanisms of excitability.
Bifurcation Neuro-computational properties
saddle-node Integrator, all-or-none spikes, high CV,
(fold) well-defined threshold, no post-inhibitory spikes,…
Hopf Resonator, intermediate amplitude spikes, low CV,
quasi-threshold, post-inhibitory spikes, ...
Izhikevich (2000), in press