Title Neuronal coupling by endogenous electric fields: Cable theory and applications to coincidence detector neurons in the auditory brainstem Authors Joshua H. Goldwyn1,2,3 John Rinzel1,2 Contributions JHG and JR designed study, analyzed data, and wrote manuscript. JHG performed simulations. Affiliations 1 Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States 2 Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, NY, United States 3 Department of Mathematics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States Running Head Neuronal coupling by endogenous electric fields Address for Correspondence Joshua H. Goldwyn 100 Math Tower 231 West 18th Avenue Columbus OH, 43210-1174 Phone: 614-292-5256 Fax: 614 292-1479 Email:
[email protected] 1 Abstract The ongoing activity of neurons generates a spatially- and time-varying field of extracellular voltage (Ve). This Ve field reflects population-level neural activity, but does it modulate neural dynamics and the function of neural circuits? We provide a cable theory framework to study how a bundle of model neurons generates Ve and how this Ve feeds back and influences membrane potential (Vm). We find that these “ephaptic interactions” are small but not negligible. The model neural population can generate Ve with millivolt-scale amplitude and this Ve perturbs the Vm of “nearby” cables and effectively increases their electrotonic length. After using passive cable theory to systematically study ephaptic coupling, we explore a test case: the medial superior olive (MSO) in the auditory brainstem. The MSO is a possible locus of ephaptic interactions: sounds evoke large Ve in vivo in this nucleus (millivolt-scale).