A general framework for neurobiological modeling: an application to the vestibular system

The otolith organs in the vestibular system are excellent detectors of linear accelerations. However, any measurement of linear acceleration is ambiguous between a tilt in a gravitational field and an inertial acceleration. Angelaki et al. have put forward a general hypothesis about how inertial accelerations can be computed based on vestibular signals [1]. We have constructed a realistic, detailed model of the relevant systems to test this hypothesis. The model produces useful predictions about what kinds of neurons should be found in the vestibular nucleus if such a computation is actually performed in the vestibular system. The model is constructed using general principles of neurobiological simulation [2]. Key words: Vestibular system; Neural representation; Large-scale models.

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2002
• Where: IJON
• Authors: Chris Eliasmith, M. Brandon Westover, Charles H. Anderson
• Keywords: Accelerations, IJON 2002, Linear Acceleration, Vestibular System