. 2005 Oct 15;4(1):A1–A11.

Table 2.

Key references concerning thalamic cell parameters.

McCormick and Huguenard (1992)

A model of the electrophysiological properties of thalamo-cortical relay neurons
⇒ a detailed description of a low-threshold Ca²⁺ current (I_T), a high-threshold Ca²⁺ current (I_L), a Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ current (I_C), a transient and depolarization-activated K⁺ current (I_A), a hyperpolarization-activated cation current (I_h), a K⁺ leak current and a Na⁺ leak current (I_Kleak; I_Naleak).

Huguenard and McCormick (1992)

Simulation of the currents involved in rhythmic oscillations in thalamic relay neurons
⇒ they developed Hodgkin-Huxley style mathematical equations that describe the voltage dependence and kinetics of activation and inactivation of four different currents, including the transient, low-voltage- activated Ca²⁺ current (I_T), the rapidly inactivating transient K⁺ current (I_A), the slowly inactivating K⁺ current (I_K2) and the hyperpolarization-activated, mixed cation current (I_h).

Destexhe and Babloyantz (1993)

A model of the inward current I_h and its possible role in thalamocortical oscillations
⇒ kinetic properties of the hyperpolarization-activated inward current (I_h) of thalamocortical neurons.

Destexhe et al. (1998)

Dendritic low-threshold calcium currents in thalamic relay cells
⇒ a combination of in vitro recordings and computational modeling techniques to investigate the function of the low-voltage-activated Ca²⁺ current (I_T) in TC cells.

Mukherjee and Kaplan (1995)

Dynamics of neurons in the cat lateral geniculate nucleus: in vivo electrophysiology and computational modeling
⇒ description of the time domain transformation that thalamocortical relay cells of the cat lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) perform on their retinal input using computational modeling.

Meuth et al. (2001)

Differential control of high-voltage activated Ca²⁺ current components by a Ca²⁺ dependent inactivation mechanism in thalamic relay neurons
⇒ expression of different high-voltage activated Ca²⁺-channel subtypes in thalamocortical relay neurons and their contribution to a Ca²⁺- dependent inactivation process.

Hill and Tononi (2004)

Modeling Sleep and Wakefulness in the Thalamocortical System
⇒ sleep is characterized by slow oscillations in cortical activity that can be measured using EEG techniques. These oscillations depend on interactions between the thalamus and the cortex. To investigate these interactions and the switch from wakefulness to sleep, Hill and Tononi have produced a computer model of the thalamocortical circuitry.