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Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience pp 1–17Cite as

Bursting in Neurons and Small Networks

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Definition

Bursting refers to patterns of neural activity consisting of episodes of relatively fast spiking separated by intervals of quiescence. Bursting neurons are ubiquitous in the nervous system and play important roles in the production of motor, sensory, and cognitive behaviors. Because bursting is the predominant mode of activity in central pattern generator (CPG) networks that underlie rhythmic motor activity, bursting neurons have been best characterized in invertebrate CPG networks. Bursting neurons fall into two classes, based on whether bursting is an intrinsic neuronal property, resulting solely from the interaction among ionic currents, or whether it is a network property, emerging from the interaction among ionic and synaptic currents.

Detailed Description

Introduction and Background

Bursting patterns consist of episodes of relatively fast spiking (bursts) separated by intervals of either quiescence or subthreshold activity such as subthreshold oscillations (Kispersky...

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Acknowledgment

Supported by grants NIH MH060605 (FN), NSF DMS1313861(HGR).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers University Newark, 195 University Avenue, Boyden Hall Room 206, 07102, Newark, NJ, USA

    David M. Fox & Farzan Nadim Ph.D.

  2. Department of Mathematical Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, 323 Martin Luther King Blvd., 07102, Newark, NJ, USA

    Horacio G. Rotstein & Farzan Nadim Ph.D.

Authors
  1. David M. Fox
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  2. Horacio G. Rotstein
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  3. Farzan Nadim Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David M. Fox .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Dieter Jaeger

  2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA

    Ranu Jung

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Fox, D.M., Rotstein, H.G., Nadim, F. (2014). Bursting in Neurons and Small Networks. In: Jaeger, D., Jung, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_454-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_454-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7320-6

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