1
|
Quinn S, Zhang N, Fenton TA, Brusel M, Muruganandam P, Peleg Y, Giladi M, Haitin Y, Lerche H, Bassan H, Liu Y, Ben-Shalom R, Rubinstein M. Complex biophysical changes and reduced neuronal firing in an SCN8A variant associated with developmental delay and epilepsy. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2024; 1870:167127. [PMID: 38519006 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2024.167127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
Mutations in the SCN8A gene, encoding the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.6, are associated with a range of neurodevelopmental syndromes. The p.(Gly1625Arg) (G1625R) mutation was identified in a patient diagnosed with developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE). While most of the characterized DEE-associated SCN8A mutations were shown to cause a gain-of-channel function, we show that the G1625R variant, positioned within the S4 segment of domain IV, results in complex effects. Voltage-clamp analyses of NaV1.6G1625R demonstrated a mixture of gain- and loss-of-function properties, including reduced current amplitudes, increased time constant of fast voltage-dependent inactivation, a depolarizing shift in the voltage dependence of activation and inactivation, and increased channel availability with high-frequency repeated depolarization. Current-clamp analyses in transfected cultured neurons revealed that these biophysical properties caused a marked reduction in the number of action potentials when firing was driven by the transfected mutant NaV1.6. Accordingly, computational modeling of mature cortical neurons demonstrated a mild decrease in neuronal firing when mimicking the patients' heterozygous SCN8A expression. Structural modeling of NaV1.6G1625R suggested the formation of a cation-π interaction between R1625 and F1588 within domain IV. Double-mutant cycle analysis revealed that this interaction affects the voltage dependence of inactivation in NaV1.6G1625R. Together, our studies demonstrate that the G1625R variant leads to a complex combination of gain and loss of function biophysical changes that result in an overall mild reduction in neuronal firing, related to the perturbed interaction network within the voltage sensor domain, necessitating personalized multi-tiered analysis for SCN8A mutations for optimal treatment selection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shir Quinn
- Goldschleger Eye Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Nan Zhang
- Department of Neurology and Epileptology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Timothy A Fenton
- Neurology Department, MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Marina Brusel
- Goldschleger Eye Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Preethi Muruganandam
- Neurology Department, MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Yoav Peleg
- Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Moshe Giladi
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yoni Haitin
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Holger Lerche
- Department of Neurology and Epileptology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Haim Bassan
- Pediatric Neurology and Development Center, Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh), Zerifin, Israel; Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yuanyuan Liu
- Department of Neurology and Epileptology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Roy Ben-Shalom
- Neurology Department, MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States.
| | - Moran Rubinstein
- Goldschleger Eye Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Cudone E, Lower AM, McDougal RA. Reproducibility of biophysical in silico neuron states and spikes from event-based partial histories. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011548. [PMID: 37824576 PMCID: PMC10597496 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Biophysically detailed simulations of neuronal activity often rely on solving large systems of differential equations; in some models, these systems have tens of thousands of states per cell. Numerically solving these equations is computationally intensive and requires making assumptions about the initial cell states. Additional realism from incorporating more biological detail is achieved at the cost of increasingly more states, more computational resources, and more modeling assumptions. We show that for both a point and morphologically-detailed cell model, the presence and timing of future action potentials is probabilistically well-characterized by the relative timings of a moderate number of recent events alone. Knowledge of initial conditions or full synaptic input history is not required. While model time constants, etc. impact the specifics, we demonstrate that for both individual spikes and sustained cellular activity, the uncertainty in spike response decreases as the number of known input events increases, to the point of approximate determinism. Further, we show cellular model states are reconstructable from ongoing synaptic events, despite unknown initial conditions. We propose that a strictly event-based modeling framework is capable of representing the complexity of cellular dynamics of the differential-equations models with significantly less per-cell state variables, thus offering a pathway toward utilizing modern data-driven modeling to scale up to larger network models while preserving individual cellular biophysics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Evan Cudone
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Amelia M. Lower
- Yale College, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Robert A. McDougal
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Section of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zhang Y, He G, Ma L, Liu X, Hjorth JJJ, Kozlov A, He Y, Zhang S, Kotaleski JH, Tian Y, Grillner S, Du K, Huang T. A GPU-based computational framework that bridges neuron simulation and artificial intelligence. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5798. [PMID: 37723170 PMCID: PMC10507119 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41553-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Biophysically detailed multi-compartment models are powerful tools to explore computational principles of the brain and also serve as a theoretical framework to generate algorithms for artificial intelligence (AI) systems. However, the expensive computational cost severely limits the applications in both the neuroscience and AI fields. The major bottleneck during simulating detailed compartment models is the ability of a simulator to solve large systems of linear equations. Here, we present a novel Dendritic Hierarchical Scheduling (DHS) method to markedly accelerate such a process. We theoretically prove that the DHS implementation is computationally optimal and accurate. This GPU-based method performs with 2-3 orders of magnitude higher speed than that of the classic serial Hines method in the conventional CPU platform. We build a DeepDendrite framework, which integrates the DHS method and the GPU computing engine of the NEURON simulator and demonstrate applications of DeepDendrite in neuroscience tasks. We investigate how spatial patterns of spine inputs affect neuronal excitability in a detailed human pyramidal neuron model with 25,000 spines. Furthermore, we provide a brief discussion on the potential of DeepDendrite for AI, specifically highlighting its ability to enable the efficient training of biophysically detailed models in typical image classification tasks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yichen Zhang
- National Key Laboratory for Multimedia Information Processing, School of Computer Science, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Gan He
- National Key Laboratory for Multimedia Information Processing, School of Computer Science, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Lei Ma
- National Key Laboratory for Multimedia Information Processing, School of Computer Science, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI), Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Xiaofei Liu
- National Key Laboratory for Multimedia Information Processing, School of Computer Science, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- School of Information Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - J J Johannes Hjorth
- Science for Life Laboratory, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Royal Institute of Technology KTH, Stockholm, SE-10044, Sweden
| | - Alexander Kozlov
- Science for Life Laboratory, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Royal Institute of Technology KTH, Stockholm, SE-10044, Sweden
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, SE-17165, Sweden
| | - Yutao He
- National Key Laboratory for Multimedia Information Processing, School of Computer Science, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Shenjian Zhang
- National Key Laboratory for Multimedia Information Processing, School of Computer Science, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Jeanette Hellgren Kotaleski
- Science for Life Laboratory, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Royal Institute of Technology KTH, Stockholm, SE-10044, Sweden
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, SE-17165, Sweden
| | - Yonghong Tian
- National Key Laboratory for Multimedia Information Processing, School of Computer Science, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Sten Grillner
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, SE-17165, Sweden
| | - Kai Du
- Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
| | - Tiejun Huang
- National Key Laboratory for Multimedia Information Processing, School of Computer Science, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI), Beijing, 100084, China
- Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ladd A, Kim KG, Balewski J, Bouchard K, Ben-Shalom R. Scaling and Benchmarking an Evolutionary Algorithm for Constructing Biophysical Neuronal Models. Front Neuroinform 2022; 16:882552. [PMID: 35784184 PMCID: PMC9248031 DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2022.882552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Single neuron models are fundamental for computational modeling of the brain's neuronal networks, and understanding how ion channel dynamics mediate neural function. A challenge in defining such models is determining biophysically realistic channel distributions. Here, we present an efficient, highly parallel evolutionary algorithm for developing such models, named NeuroGPU-EA. NeuroGPU-EA uses CPUs and GPUs concurrently to simulate and evaluate neuron membrane potentials with respect to multiple stimuli. We demonstrate a logarithmic cost for scaling the stimuli used in the fitting procedure. NeuroGPU-EA outperforms the typically used CPU based evolutionary algorithm by a factor of 10 on a series of scaling benchmarks. We report observed performance bottlenecks and propose mitigation strategies. Finally, we also discuss the potential of this method for efficient simulation and evaluation of electrophysiological waveforms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Ladd
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Alexander Ladd
| | - Kyung Geun Kim
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Jan Balewski
- NERSC, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Kristofer Bouchard
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute & Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Scientific Data Division and Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Roy Ben-Shalom
- Neurology Department, MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
- Roy Ben-Shalom
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ben-Shalom R, Ladd A, Artherya NS, Cross C, Kim KG, Sanghevi H, Korngreen A, Bouchard KE, Bender KJ. NeuroGPU: Accelerating multi-compartment, biophysically detailed neuron simulations on GPUs. J Neurosci Methods 2022; 366:109400. [PMID: 34728257 PMCID: PMC9887806 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2021.109400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The membrane potential of individual neurons depends on a large number of interacting biophysical processes operating on spatial-temporal scales spanning several orders of magnitude. The multi-scale nature of these processes dictates that accurate prediction of membrane potentials in specific neurons requires the utilization of detailed simulations. Unfortunately, constraining parameters within biologically detailed neuron models can be difficult, leading to poor model fits. This obstacle can be overcome partially by numerical optimization or detailed exploration of parameter space. However, these processes, which currently rely on central processing unit (CPU) computation, often incur orders of magnitude increases in computing time for marginal improvements in model behavior. As a result, model quality is often compromised to accommodate compute resources. NEW METHOD Here, we present a simulation environment, NeuroGPU, that takes advantage of the inherent parallelized structure of the graphics processing unit (GPU) to accelerate neuronal simulation. RESULTS & COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS NeuroGPU can simulate most biologically detailed models 10-200 times faster than NEURON simulation running on a single core and 5 times faster than GPU simulators (CoreNEURON). NeuroGPU is designed for model parameter tuning and best performs when the GPU is fully utilized by running multiple (> 100) instances of the same model with different parameters. When using multiple GPUs, NeuroGPU can reach to a speed-up of 800 fold compared to single core simulations, especially when simulating the same model morphology with different parameters. We demonstrate the power of NeuoGPU through large-scale parameter exploration to reveal the response landscape of a neuron. Finally, we accelerate numerical optimization of biophysically detailed neuron models to achieve highly accurate fitting of models to simulation and experimental data. CONCLUSIONS Thus, NeuroGPU is the fastest available platform that enables rapid simulation of multi-compartment, biophysically detailed neuron models on commonly used computing systems accessible by many scientists.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roy Ben-Shalom
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States,Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States,MIND Institute University of California, Davis, CA, United States,Computational Research Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA, United States,Correspondence to: University of California, Davis MIND Institute Wet Lab 2805 50th Street, Room 2460 Sacramento, CA 95817, United States., (R. Ben-Shalom), (K.J. Bender)
| | - Alexander Ladd
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Nikhil S. Artherya
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Christopher Cross
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Kyung Geun Kim
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Hersh Sanghevi
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Alon Korngreen
- The Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel,The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Kristofer E. Bouchard
- Computational Research Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA, United States,Hellen Wills Neuroscience Institute & Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States,Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Kevin J. Bender
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States,Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Alonso LM, Marder E. Visualization of currents in neural models with similar behavior and different conductance densities. eLife 2019; 8:42722. [PMID: 30702427 PMCID: PMC6395073 DOI: 10.7554/elife.42722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Conductance-based models of neural activity produce large amounts of data that can be hard to visualize and interpret. We introduce visualization methods to display the dynamics of the ionic currents and to display the models’ response to perturbations. To visualize the currents’ dynamics, we compute the percent contribution of each current and display them over time using stacked-area plots. The waveform of the membrane potential and the contribution of each current change as the models are perturbed. To represent these changes over a range of the perturbation control parameter, we compute and display the distributions of these waveforms. We illustrate these procedures in six examples of bursting model neurons with similar activity but that differ as much as threefold in their conductance densities. These visualization methods provide heuristic insight into why individual neurons or networks with similar behavior can respond widely differently to perturbations. The nervous system contains networks of neurons that generate electrical signals to communicate with each other and the rest of the body. Such electrical signals are due to the flow of ions into or out of the neurons via proteins known as ion channels. Neurons have many different kinds of ion channels that only allow specific ions to pass. Therefore, for a neuron to produce an electrical signal, the activities of several different ion channels need to be coordinated so that they all open and close at certain times. Researchers have previously used data collected from various experiments to develop detailed models of electrical signals in neurons. These models incorporate information about how and when the ion channels may open and close, and can produce numerical simulations of the different ionic currents. However, it can be difficult to display the currents and observe how they change when several different ion channels are involved. Alonso and Marder used simple mathematical concepts to develop new methods to display ionic currents in computational models of neurons. These tools use color to capture changes in ionic currents and provide insights into how the opening and closing of ion channels shape electrical signals. The methods developed by Alonso and Marder could be adapted to display the behavior of biochemical reactions or other topics in biology and may, therefore, be useful to analyze data generated by computational models of many different types of cells. Additionally, these methods may potentially be used as educational tools to illustrate the coordinated opening and closing of ion channels in neurons and other fundamental principles of neuroscience that are otherwise hard to demonstrate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leandro M Alonso
- Volen Center and Biology Department, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States
| | - Eve Marder
- Volen Center and Biology Department, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Ni H, Morotti S, Grandi E. A Heart for Diversity: Simulating Variability in Cardiac Arrhythmia Research. Front Physiol 2018; 9:958. [PMID: 30079031 PMCID: PMC6062641 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
In cardiac electrophysiology, there exist many sources of inter- and intra-personal variability. These include variability in conditions and environment, and genotypic and molecular diversity, including differences in expression and behavior of ion channels and transporters, which lead to phenotypic diversity (e.g., variable integrated responses at the cell, tissue, and organ levels). These variabilities play an important role in progression of heart disease and arrhythmia syndromes and outcomes of therapeutic interventions. Yet, the traditional in silico framework for investigating cardiac arrhythmias is built upon a parameter/property-averaging approach that typically overlooks the physiological diversity. Inspired by work done in genetics and neuroscience, new modeling frameworks of cardiac electrophysiology have been recently developed that take advantage of modern computational capabilities and approaches, and account for the variance in the biological data they are intended to illuminate. In this review, we outline the recent advances in statistical and computational techniques that take into account physiological variability, and move beyond the traditional cardiac model-building scheme that involves averaging over samples from many individuals in the construction of a highly tuned composite model. We discuss how these advanced methods have harnessed the power of big (simulated) data to study the mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias, with a special emphasis on atrial fibrillation, and improve the assessment of proarrhythmic risk and drug response. The challenges of using in silico approaches with variability are also addressed and future directions are proposed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Eleonora Grandi
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Perissinotti LL, De Biase PM, Guo J, Yang PC, Lee MC, Clancy CE, Duff HJ, Noskov SY. Determinants of Isoform-Specific Gating Kinetics of hERG1 Channel: Combined Experimental and Simulation Study. Front Physiol 2018; 9:207. [PMID: 29706893 PMCID: PMC5907531 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
IKr is the rapidly activating component of the delayed rectifier potassium current, the ion current largely responsible for the repolarization of the cardiac action potential. Inherited forms of long QT syndrome (LQTS) (Lees-Miller et al., 1997) in humans are linked to functional modifications in the Kv11.1 (hERG) ion channel and potentially life threatening arrhythmias. There is little doubt now that hERG-related component of IKr in the heart depends on the tetrameric (homo- or hetero-) channels formed by two alternatively processed isoforms of hERG, termed hERG1a and hERG1b. Isoform composition (hERG1a- vs. the b-isoform) has recently been reported to alter pharmacologic responses to some hERG blockers and was proposed to be an essential factor pre-disposing patients for drug-induced QT prolongation. Very little is known about the gating and pharmacological properties of two isoforms in heart membranes. For example, how gating mechanisms of the hERG1a channels differ from that of hERG1b is still unknown. The mechanisms by which hERG 1a/1b hetero-tetramers contribute to function in the heart, or what role hERG1b might play in disease are all questions to be answered. Structurally, the two isoforms differ only in the N-terminal region located in the cytoplasm: hERG1b is 340 residues shorter than hERG1a and the initial 36 residues of hERG1b are unique to this isoform. In this study, we combined electrophysiological measurements for HEK cells, kinetics and structural modeling to tease out the individual contributions of each isoform to Action Potential formation and then make predictions about the effects of having various mixture ratios of the two isoforms. By coupling electrophysiological data with computational kinetic modeling, two proposed mechanisms of hERG gating in two homo-tetramers were examined. Sets of data from various experimental stimulation protocols (HEK cells) were analyzed simultaneously and fitted to Markov-chain models (M-models). The minimization procedure presented here, allowed assessment of suitability of different Markov model topologies and the corresponding parameters that describe the channel kinetics. The kinetics modeling pointed to key differences in the gating kinetics that were linked to the full channel structure. Interactions between soluble domains and the transmembrane part of the channel appeared to be critical determinants of the gating kinetics. The structures of the full channel in the open and closed states were compared for the first time using the recent Cryo-EM resolved structure for full open hERG channel and an homology model for the closed state, based on the highly homolog EAG1 channel. Key potential interactions which emphasize the importance of electrostatic interactions between N-PAS cap, S4-S5, and C-linker are suggested based on the structural analysis. The derived kinetic parameters were later used in higher order models of cells and tissue to track down the effect of varying the ratios of hERG1a and hERG1b on cardiac action potentials and computed electrocardiograms. Simulations suggest that the recovery from inactivation of hERG1b may contribute to its physiologic role of this isoform in the action potential. Finally, the results presented here contribute to the growing body of evidence that hERG1b significantly affects the generation of the cardiac Ikr and plays an important role in cardiac electrophysiology. We highlight the importance of carefully revisiting the Markov models previously proposed in order to properly account for the relative abundance of the hERG1 a- and b- isoforms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura L Perissinotti
- Centre for Molecular Simulations, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Pablo M De Biase
- Centre for Molecular Simulations, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Jiqing Guo
- Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Pei-Chi Yang
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Miranda C Lee
- Centre for Molecular Simulations, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Colleen E Clancy
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Henry J Duff
- Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Sergei Y Noskov
- Centre for Molecular Simulations, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
García-Calvo R, Guisado JL, Diaz-del-Rio F, Córdoba A, Jiménez-Morales F. Graphics Processing Unit-Enhanced Genetic Algorithms for Solving the Temporal Dynamics of Gene Regulatory Networks. Evol Bioinform Online 2018; 14:1176934318767889. [PMID: 29662297 PMCID: PMC5898668 DOI: 10.1177/1176934318767889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the regulation of gene expression is one of the key problems in current biology. A promising method for that purpose is the determination of the temporal dynamics between known initial and ending network states, by using simple acting rules. The huge amount of rule combinations and the nonlinear inherent nature of the problem make genetic algorithms an excellent candidate for finding optimal solutions. As this is a computationally intensive problem that needs long runtimes in conventional architectures for realistic network sizes, it is fundamental to accelerate this task. In this article, we study how to develop efficient parallel implementations of this method for the fine-grained parallel architecture of graphics processing units (GPUs) using the compute unified device architecture (CUDA) platform. An exhaustive and methodical study of various parallel genetic algorithm schemes-master-slave, island, cellular, and hybrid models, and various individual selection methods (roulette, elitist)-is carried out for this problem. Several procedures that optimize the use of the GPU's resources are presented. We conclude that the implementation that produces better results (both from the performance and the genetic algorithm fitness perspectives) is simulating a few thousands of individuals grouped in a few islands using elitist selection. This model comprises 2 mighty factors for discovering the best solutions: finding good individuals in a short number of generations, and introducing genetic diversity via a relatively frequent and numerous migration. As a result, we have even found the optimal solution for the analyzed gene regulatory network (GRN). In addition, a comparative study of the performance obtained by the different parallel implementations on GPU versus a sequential application on CPU is carried out. In our tests, a multifold speedup was obtained for our optimized parallel implementation of the method on medium class GPU over an equivalent sequential single-core implementation running on a recent Intel i7 CPU. This work can provide useful guidance to researchers in biology, medicine, or bioinformatics in how to take advantage of the parallelization on massively parallel devices and GPUs to apply novel metaheuristic algorithms powered by nature for real-world applications (like the method to solve the temporal dynamics of GRNs).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raúl García-Calvo
- Department of Computer Architecture and Technology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - JL Guisado
- Department of Computer Architecture and Technology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Fernando Diaz-del-Rio
- Department of Computer Architecture and Technology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Antonio Córdoba
- Department of Condensed Matter Physics, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Almog M, Korngreen A. Is realistic neuronal modeling realistic? J Neurophysiol 2016; 116:2180-2209. [PMID: 27535372 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00360.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Scientific models are abstractions that aim to explain natural phenomena. A successful model shows how a complex phenomenon arises from relatively simple principles while preserving major physical or biological rules and predicting novel experiments. A model should not be a facsimile of reality; it is an aid for understanding it. Contrary to this basic premise, with the 21st century has come a surge in computational efforts to model biological processes in great detail. Here we discuss the oxymoronic, realistic modeling of single neurons. This rapidly advancing field is driven by the discovery that some neurons don't merely sum their inputs and fire if the sum exceeds some threshold. Thus researchers have asked what are the computational abilities of single neurons and attempted to give answers using realistic models. We briefly review the state of the art of compartmental modeling highlighting recent progress and intrinsic flaws. We then attempt to address two fundamental questions. Practically, can we realistically model single neurons? Philosophically, should we realistically model single neurons? We use layer 5 neocortical pyramidal neurons as a test case to examine these issues. We subject three publically available models of layer 5 pyramidal neurons to three simple computational challenges. Based on their performance and a partial survey of published models, we conclude that current compartmental models are ad hoc, unrealistic models functioning poorly once they are stretched beyond the specific problems for which they were designed. We then attempt to plot possible paths for generating realistic single neuron models.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mara Almog
- The Leslie and Susan Gonda Interdisciplinary Brain Research Centre, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel; and.,The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Alon Korngreen
- The Leslie and Susan Gonda Interdisciplinary Brain Research Centre, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel; and .,The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Carlson KD, Nageswaran JM, Dutt N, Krichmar JL. An efficient automated parameter tuning framework for spiking neural networks. Front Neurosci 2014; 8:10. [PMID: 24550771 PMCID: PMC3912986 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2013] [Accepted: 01/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As the desire for biologically realistic spiking neural networks (SNNs) increases, tuning the enormous number of open parameters in these models becomes a difficult challenge. SNNs have been used to successfully model complex neural circuits that explore various neural phenomena such as neural plasticity, vision systems, auditory systems, neural oscillations, and many other important topics of neural function. Additionally, SNNs are particularly well-adapted to run on neuromorphic hardware that will support biological brain-scale architectures. Although the inclusion of realistic plasticity equations, neural dynamics, and recurrent topologies has increased the descriptive power of SNNs, it has also made the task of tuning these biologically realistic SNNs difficult. To meet this challenge, we present an automated parameter tuning framework capable of tuning SNNs quickly and efficiently using evolutionary algorithms (EA) and inexpensive, readily accessible graphics processing units (GPUs). A sample SNN with 4104 neurons was tuned to give V1 simple cell-like tuning curve responses and produce self-organizing receptive fields (SORFs) when presented with a random sequence of counterphase sinusoidal grating stimuli. A performance analysis comparing the GPU-accelerated implementation to a single-threaded central processing unit (CPU) implementation was carried out and showed a speedup of 65× of the GPU implementation over the CPU implementation, or 0.35 h per generation for GPU vs. 23.5 h per generation for CPU. Additionally, the parameter value solutions found in the tuned SNN were studied and found to be stable and repeatable. The automated parameter tuning framework presented here will be of use to both the computational neuroscience and neuromorphic engineering communities, making the process of constructing and tuning large-scale SNNs much quicker and easier.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristofor D Carlson
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California Irvine Irvine, CA, USA
| | | | - Nikil Dutt
- Department of Computer Science, University of California Irvine Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Jeffrey L Krichmar
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California Irvine Irvine, CA, USA ; Department of Computer Science, University of California Irvine Irvine, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Lampert A, Korngreen A. Markov Modeling of Ion Channels. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2014; 123:1-21. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-397897-4.00009-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
|
13
|
Patel P, Johnson-Gray M, Forren E, Malik A, Smolinski TG. Hybridization of multi-objective evolutionary algorithms and fuzzy control for automated construction, tuning, and analysis of neuronal models. BMC Neurosci 2013. [PMCID: PMC3704907 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-14-s1-p369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
|
14
|
Tomaiuolo M, Bertram R, Leng G, Tabak J. Models of electrical activity: calibration and prediction testing on the same cell. Biophys J 2013. [PMID: 23199930 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.09.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Mathematical models are increasingly important in biology, and testability is becoming a critical issue. One limitation is that one model simulation tests a parameter set representing one instance of the biological counterpart, whereas biological systems are heterogeneous in their properties and behavior, and a model often is fitted to represent an ideal average. This is also true for models of a cell's electrical activity; even within a narrowly defined population there can be considerable variation in electrophysiological phenotype. Here, we describe a computational experimental approach for parameterizing a model of the electrical activity of a cell in real time. We combine the inexpensive parallel computational power of a programmable graphics processing unit with the flexibility of the dynamic clamp method. The approach involves 1), recording a cell's electrical activity, 2), parameterizing a model to the recording, 3), generating predictions, and 4), testing the predictions on the same cell used for the calibration. We demonstrate the experimental feasibility of our approach using a cell line (GH4C1). These cells are electrically active, and they display tonic spiking or bursting. We use our approach to predict parameter changes that can convert one pattern to the other.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Tomaiuolo
- Department of Biological Science and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Ben-Shalom R, Liberman G, Korngreen A. Accelerating compartmental modeling on a graphical processing unit. Front Neuroinform 2013; 7:4. [PMID: 23508232 PMCID: PMC3600538 DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2013.00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2013] [Accepted: 02/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Compartmental modeling is a widely used tool in neurophysiology but the detail and scope of such models is frequently limited by lack of computational resources. Here we implement compartmental modeling on low cost Graphical Processing Units (GPUs), which significantly increases simulation speed compared to NEURON. Testing two methods for solving the current diffusion equation system revealed which method is more useful for specific neuron morphologies. Regions of applicability were investigated using a range of simulations from a single membrane potential trace simulated in a simple fork morphology to multiple traces on multiple realistic cells. A runtime peak 150-fold faster than the CPU was achieved. This application can be used for statistical analysis and data fitting optimizations of compartmental models and may be used for simultaneously simulating large populations of neurons. Since GPUs are forging ahead and proving to be more cost-effective than CPUs, this may significantly decrease the cost of computation power and open new computational possibilities for laboratories with limited budgets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roy Ben-Shalom
- The Leslie and Susan Gonda Interdisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University Ramat Gan, Israel ; The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University Ramat Gan, Israel
| | | | | |
Collapse
|