Neuronal behaviors: A control perspective

The purpose of this tutorial is to introduce and analyze models of neurons from a control perspective and to show how recently developed analytical tools help to address important biological questions. A first objective is to review the basic modeling principles of neurophysiology in which neurons are modeled as equivalent nonlinear electrical circuits that capture their excitable properties. The specific architecture of the models is key to the tractability of their analysis: in spite of their high-dimensional and nonlinear nature, the model properties can be understood in terms of few canonical positive and negative feedback motifs localized in distinct timescales. We use this insight to shed light on a key problem in experimental neurophysiology, the challenge of understanding the sensitivity of neuronal behaviors to underlying parameters in empirically-derived models. Finally, we show how sensitivity analysis of neuronal excitability relates to robustness and regulation of neuronal behaviors.