A Continuum Neuronal Tissue Model Based on a Two-Compartmental Representation of Cells

Although significant advances have been made in continuum modeling of cardiac and smooth muscle tissue, the progress in neuronal continuum modeling has been slower. In this paper, a continuum neuronal tissue model based on a two-compartmental representation of cells is presented. Each neuron is described using both a somatic compartment modeled by the classical Hodgkin-Huxley current kinetics and a dendritic compartment based on a passive RC formulation. In addition, a synaptic current is fed into the dendritic compartment to account for the presynaptic influence of cells located within the dendritic field of each soma. A number of cases are simulated, including intracellular current injection into either the dendritic or somatic compartments, as well as extracellular current stimulation with and without synaptic input into neurons. The model incorporates a number of parameters controlling neuronal excitability which can be adjusted to validate each neuron's responses against experimental data, allowing for the modeling of different neuronal cell types and behaviors.