ABSTRACT
The development of neuronal models provides a quantitative framework for studying the spread and summation of synaptic potentials in neurons. The Rall model is a particular case of the multiple equivalent cylinder model described in this chapter, and consequently, a mathematical statement of the dimensional Rall model can be obtained. The multiple equivalent cylinder model has been extended in several ways to incorporate and investigate more realistic variations in electrical and geometrical non-uniformities, which we now briefly review for completeness. The model is presented and solved in detail in Evans and Kember, using analogous techniques introduced for the solution of the multiple equivalent cylinder model. The objective of neuronal modelling is to construct a mathematical model of synaptic spread and summation, which agrees with existing measurements to within a specified accuracy and can be used with confidence to predict future observations and behaviour.
