Novel types of bistability in a model of a bursting pacemaker neuron RPa1 from the snail, Helix pomatia.

The RPa1 neuron identified in the snail, Helix pomatia, produced a variety of electrical activities (e.g. bursting and spiking). A previously developed mathematical model, which described these activities, revealed bistability between bursting and chaotic spiking, where chaotic spiking was transformed into bursting by a short-lasting external stimulus, and vice versa. The present study used this model to detect other types of bistability, i.e. bistability between bursting and period-2 spiking and between bursting and period-4 spiking (period-2 and -4 spiking are generated by period-doubling bifurcation). This contributes to our understanding of the electrophysiological properties of RPa1.