Instructor      : Prof. Dr. Murat EYÜBOĞLU (Office: DZ-09)

STAGE 1: ACTION POTENTIAL GENERATION

Implement a software code to model excitable membrane of an axon using Hudgkin-Huxley (H&H) network model based on the rate constants for ionic channel conductivities determined by H&H.

Requirements         : You must use Graphical User Interface (of MATLAB or visual C etc). Your code must receive user-defined inputs and presents results via different windows as described below.

Inputs: The constant of the H&H model are the constant inputs of the model. Those constants are,

C_m                =        1        µF/cm²       
V_Na     =        -115   mV    
V_K      =        +12     mV    
V_L      =        -10.613        mV    
G_{Na max} =        120    mS/cm²      
G_{K max}           =        36      mS/cm²      
G_L                =        0.3     mS/cm²      

In addition to these constants user specified input variables are,

Amplitude and duration of the stimulus applied to the axon,

Number of stimulus to be applied (one or two),

If more than one stimulus is applied the time delay between the successive stimuli.

Outputs: Outputs of the model must be in graphical form with the same time scale in each plot. When multiple parameters are given in the same plot, different variables must appear in different colour or line type. Required outputs, as a function of time, are,

Total membrane current,

Sodium, potassium, leakage channel and capacitive currents,

Sodium, potassium, leakage channel conductances,

Membrane voltage,

Stage 1 submission           : You must submit your code with a brief description to the course instructor before or on the deadline.

Submission deadline        : November 25^th, 2011.

Weighted score                  : 30%

STAGE 2: ACTION POTENTIAL PROPAGATION

Implement a software code to simulate propagation of an action on an axon, for a user defined stimuli (single or double), using Hudgkin-Huxley (H&H) core-conductor model assumption.

Requirements         : You must use Graphical User Interface (of MATLAB or visual C etc) as in Stage 1. Your code must receive user-defined and constant input parameters used in Stage 1.

Inputs: The constant of the H&H model are also the constant inputs of the propagation model. Additionally, variable inputs are intracellular axial resistance per unit length (r_i (ohm/cm)) and extracellular resistance per unit length (r_o (ohm/cm)), and the axon diameter.

In addition to these model parameters user specified input stimuli variables are,

Amplitude and duration of the stimulus applied to the axon,

Number of stimulus to be applied (one or two),

If more than one stimulus is applied the time delay between the successive stimuli.

Outputs: Outputs of the model must be in graphical. Action potential propagation must be displayed on a graphical window as a function of position in time.

Submission                         : You must submit your code with a brief description to the course instructor before or on the deadline.

Submission deadline        : December 23^th, 2011.

Weighted score                  : 30%

FINAL STAGE: DEMONSTRATION and REPORTING

This stage is the presentation of the developed code.

Requirements: A demonstration of the developed code will be made to the course instructor and a technical report along with the software code will be submitted.

The reports must contain (at least)

Abstract,

Introduction,

Theory,

Results (examples of outputs for different input stimuli must be given)

Discussion and conclusion (results given in the results section must be discussed)

References.

Submission deadline        : December 30th, 2011

Weighted score                  : Report                      : 30%

                            Demonstration     : 10%

Note: MATLAB is highly recommended but you may also use MATHEMATICA, C++, C or PASCAL.