Exploring Neural Networks of Hodgkin Huxley Neurons
Abstract
Brain function has been one of physiology’s largest mysteries. Over the years scientists have understood the role of electricity in neural signaling, neuron firing mechanisms, and even neural pathways, but the emergent phenomena of memory and consciousness still remain open questions. The goal of this project is to provide an analytic framework to understand neural pathways. Our work can be understood in two parts: exploration of neuron function and an exploration of neuron pathways. The first phase of our project focuses on analyzing the Hodgkin-Huxley mathematical model for neurons. We implement the Hodgkin-Huxley model and study the effect of various model parameters on neuron function. We pay specific attention to complex and non-linear behavior. The second phase of this project can be seen as an application of of Hodgkin-Huxley neurons to neural pathways in the brain. In this portion we construct neural networks of Hodgkin-Huxley neurons and study the signal processing abilities of these neural circuits. Our findings indicate that our Hodgkin-Huxely neural net model, the Parakh-Varanasi model, is capabale of preserving certain signal characteristics through the network. Furthermore, we provide a basic proof of concept that variation of certain parameters allow us to control Parakh-Varanasi outputs. Finally, we conclude our project outlining a future project proving the signal re-producing capabilities of these HodgkinHuxley network models. We hope that this analytic frame work work plays a part in uncovering the role of neural circuits and higher cognitive function.
