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CHPC - Research Computing Support for the University

In addition to deploying and operating high performance computational resources and providing advanced user support and training, CHPC serves as an expert team to broadly support the increasingly diverse research computing needs on campus. These needs include support for big data, big data movement, data analytics, security, virtual machines, Windows science application servers, protected environments for data mining and analysis of protected health information, and advanced networking. Visit our Getting Started page for more information.

Changes in Neuronal Membrane Properties Lead to Suppression of Hippocampal Ripples

By Eric D. Melonakos, John A. White, and Fernando R. Fernandez, Department of Bioengineering

Center for High Performance Computing resources were used to study the effects of cholinergic inputs to the hippocampus on patterns of brain activity.

Ripples (140–220 Hz) are patterns of brain activity, seen in the local field potential of the hippocampus, that are important for memory consolidation. Cholinergic inputs to the hippocampus from neurons in the medial septum-diagonal band of Broca cause a marked reduction in ripple incidence as rodents switch from memory consolidation to memory encoding behaviors. The mechanism for this disruption in ripple power is not fully understood. Among the major effects of acetylcholine (or carbachol, a cholinomimetic) on hippocampal neurons are 1) an increase in membrane potential, 2) a decrease in the size of spike after hyperpolarization (AHP), and 3) an increase in membrane resistance. Using an existing model of hippocampal ripples that includes 5000 interconnected neurons (Brunel and Wang, 2003), we manipulated these parameters and observed their effects on ripple power. Shown here, the network firing rate and ripple power of the original model (top row; pyramidal neuron data is shown in red, interneuron data is shown in black) undergo marked changes following a decrease in pyramidal neuron AHP size, as well as an increase in the membrane voltage of both types of neurons. These changes could be the means whereby cholinergic input suppresses hippocampal ripples.

System Status

last update: 05/24/17 8:53 pm
General Nodes
system procs % util.
ember 984/984 100%
kingspeak 880/880 100%
lonepeak 256/256 100%
Restricted Nodes
system procs % util.
ash 4880/7448 65.52%
apexarch Status Unavailable
ember 1192/1284 92.83%
kingspeak 4920/6724 73.17%
lonepeak Status Unavailable

Cluster Utilization

Last Updated: 5/22/17