Can the Hodgkin-Huxley neuron incorporate desensitization?

Question

I'm studying a neuron in an organism that has the following properties:

The neuron's output voltage is dependent on the strength of the stimulus, if that stimulus is applied and removed without any further stimuli.
If there is another stimulus that follows the first, then the magnitude of the voltage is reduced by a factor dependent on the time between the two stimuli, even if the strength of the two stimuli is the same.

I know approximately the function that governs this reduction in magnitude as a function of time between stimuli.

Is the Hodgkin-Huxley model sufficient to model the behaviour of this neuron? Is there another model that is more appropriate?

$\begingroup$ It sure can. Even the simpler/older Hill model can $\endgroup$ – Fizz Nov 14 '17 at 19:23 — Fizz, Nov 14 '17 at 19:23

AliceD · Accepted Answer · 2017-11-15 12:34:10Z

1

The Hodgkin-Huxley model does have the ability to accurately reflect adaptation processes in a neuron (e.g., Awiszus, (1989));
A perfect integrator model is also suitable (Goldman et al., 2007);
A leaky integrator model is often used to model spiking behavior as well (Mihalas & Niebur, 2009).

answered Nov 15 '17 at 9:15

AliceD♦

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$\begingroup$ Very interesting, thank you. Is it correct, then, to say that any model on its own would need additional discrete dynamics (for instance, by changing scaling factors or threshold in an ON/OFF manner)? $\endgroup$ – Michael Stachowsky Nov 15 '17 at 14:02
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$\begingroup$ @MichaelStachowsky -- typically, parameters have to be tweaked to reproduce physiologically observed adaptational processes $\endgroup$ – AliceD♦ Nov 15 '17 at 14:18

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