Regulating firing rate of networks of pyramidal cells

In a minimal network model consisting of two pyramidal cells and one intern euron, we show how excitation and inhibition cooperate to produce firing ra te changes in pyramidal cells that are consistent with observed place cell firing in region CA3 of the hippocampus. We show that inhibition from a com mon interneuron can synchronize networks of pyramidal cells with no direct connections. Moreover, recurrent excitation together with common inhibition can modulate burst profiles of synchronously firing cells from complex bur sts to bursts with multiple spike to single spikes. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scien ce B.V. All rights reserved.