File contents

Object Type:    compartment

Description:    Axially asymmetric compartment. Ra is located on
                one side of the compartment. This is slightly more
                computationally efficient than the symmetric counterpart.

Author:         M. Wilson, Caltech (6/88)

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ELEMENT PARAMETERS

DataStructure:  compartment_type  [in src/segment/seg_struct.h]

Size:           124 bytes

Fields:         Rm              total membrane resistance
                Cm              total membrane capacitance
                Em              membrane resting potential
                Ra              axial resistance
                inject          injected current in membrane
                dia             compartment diameter
                len             compartment length              
                Vm              voltage across the membrane
                previous_state  Vm at previous time step
                Im              approximation to the total membrane current
                initVm          initial value to set Vm on reset

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SIMULATION PARAMETERS

Function:       Compartment  [in src/segment/compartment.c]

Classes:        segment
                membrane

Actions:        INIT            assign previous_state = Vm
                PROCESS         update Vm, calculate Im
                RESET           assign Vm = Em
                CHECK           make sure Rm>0, Cm>0, 
                                Ra'>0 (if RAXIAL message is present), 
                                Ra>0 (if AXIAL message is present)
                SAVE2
                RESTORE2

Messages:       CHANNEL Gk Ek   delivers the conductance and equilibrium
                                potential of channel within the compartment
                RAXIAL Ra Vm    delivers the Ra and Vm of a compartment
                AXIAL Vm        delivers the Vm of a compartment
                INJECT inject   sets the inject field to the message value
                EREST Em        sets the Em  field to the message value

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Notes:          Simulates a section of passive membrane or cable. The
                potential across the membrane is given by Vm. There is a
                leakage path for current through the resistance Rm. This
                resistance is in series with a leakage battery Em. This
                compartment can be coupled to other compartments with an axial
                resistance Ra.  The compartment is not symmetrical, with Ra
                lumped to one side of the compartment.  Any number of ionic
                channels can be introduced into the membrane (Gk, Ek in the
                circuit diagram).  The membrane also allows current
                injection.

                The compartment Im is the sum of axial currents and injected
                current only.  The (transmembrane) channel currents or the
                leakage current are not included.  For a multicompartment
                cell, under a quasistatic approximation (C*dV/dt is small), Im
                is approximately equal to the sum of the channel and leakage
                currents, due to charge conservation.  This approximation is
                used in the efield object (see efield.doc) to allow Im to be
                used to calculate external field potentials.  The exception to
                this is when Im is calculated with hsolve in chanmode 4.  In
                that case, Im is directly calculated as the sum of the channel
                currents and leakage current though Rm.

                When a compartment performs its RESET action (usually
                invoked by the reset command), Vm is set to the value of the
                initVm field.  Normally, initVm follows any changes to Em,
                so Vm will be initialized to Em upon reset.  If, as in the
                Hodgkin-Huxley model, Em is a leakage potential that is
                different from the rest potential, initVm may be set to the
                rest potential.  It will then no longer follow Em, and Vm
                will be set to the rest potential upon reset.
                
                Calculates Vm using:
                
                    dVm/dt = {(Em - Vm)/Rm + SUM[(Ek - Vm)*Gk] + 
                        (Vm' - Vm)/Ra' + (Vm'' - Vm)/Ra + inject}/Cm

                In the diagram, the compartment shown in the middle
                receives the Vm' and Ra' of the upper compartment with
                an RAXIAL message, and the Vm'' of the lower compartment
                with an AXIAL message.  Channels deliver their Gk and Ek
                with a CHANNEL message.


                    Vm'
                   o_________________________________________________
                   |                |             |        |        |
                   \
                   /  Ra'
                   \
                   | 
                   |
                   | Vm
                   o_________________________________________________
                   |                |             |        |        |
                   \                |             |        |        |
                   /  Ra            \             \        |        |
                   \              --/-->          /        |     ___|___
                   |             Gk \        Rm   \       / \    _______ Cm
                   |                |             |      / A \      |
                   |                |             |      \ | /      |
                   |         Ek    ---       Em  ---      \ /       |
                   |             -------       -------     | Iinject|
                   |                |             |        |        |
                   |                |_____________|________|________|
                   |
                   | Vm''
                   o_________________________________________________
                   |                |             |        |        |


Example:        

See also:       symcompartment