Sleep and wakefulness in the cuneate nucleus: a computational study

Abstract

We present a computational study about the influence of the sensorimotor cortex on the processing of the cuneate nucleus during sleep as well as wakefulness. Realistic computational models were developed supported by experimental data obtained from intact-brain preparations in cat. Furthermore, a physiologically plausible circuit is proposed and predictions under both different cortical stimulation and synaptic configurations are suggested. The computer simulations show that the CN circuitry (1) under sleep conditions can block the transmission of afferent sensory information, and (2) under awaking conditions can perform operations such as filtering and facilitation.