ABSTRACT
Information in the brain is carried by the temporal pattern of action potentials (spikes) generated by neurons. The patterns of spike discharge are determined by intrinsic properties of each neuron and the synaptic inputs it receives; modulation of either of these parameters changes the output of the neurons, and, through this, the behavior or physiology of the organism. Computational models of brain function have principally focussed on how patterns of connectivity contribute to information processing, but most models largely neglect the different intrinsic properties of different neuronal phenotypes.
