Testing fractal and Markov models of ion channel kinetics

Fractal methods to analyze ion channel kinetics.

We describe the traditional nonfractal and the new fractal methods used to analyze the currents through ion channels in the cell membrane. We discuss the hidden assumptions used in these methods and how those assumptions lead to different interpretations of the same experimental data. The nonfractal methods assumed that channel proteins have a small number of discrete states separated by fixed ...

Markov Modeling of Conformational Kinetics of Cardiac Ion Channel Proteins

Using independent open-to-closed transitions to simplify aggregated Markov models of ion channel gating kinetics.

Deducing plausible reaction schemes from single-channel current traces is time-consuming and difficult. The goal is to find the simplest scheme that fits the data, but there are many ways to connect even a small number of states (>2 million schemes with four open and four closed states). Many schemes make identical predictions. An exhaustive search over model space does not address the many equ...

Bayesian restoration of ion channel records using hidden Markov models.

Hidden Markov models have been used to restore recorded signals of single ion channels buried in background noise. Parameter estimation and signal restoration are usually carried out through likelihood maximization by using variants of the Baum-Welch forward-backward procedures. This paper presents an alternative approach for dealing with this inferential task. The inferences are made by using ...

Fractal ion-channel behavior generates fractal firing patterns in neuronal models.

Fractal behavior has been observed in both ion-channel gating and neuronal spiking patterns, but a causal relationship between the two has not yet been established. Here, we examine the effects of fractal ion-channel activity in modifications of two classical neuronal models: Fitzhugh-Nagumo (FHN) and Hodgkin-Huxley (HH). For the modified FHN model, the recovery variable was represented as a po...