Bursting neural networks: a reexamination.

Many of the motor neurons in the lobster (Panulirus interruptus) stomatogastric ganglion exhibit plateau potentials; that is, prolonged regenerative depolarizations resulting from active membrane properties, that drive the neurons to fire impulses during bursts. Plateaus are latent in isolated ganglia but are unmasked by central input. These findings emphasize the role of cellular properties as compared to synaptic wiring in the production of cyclic motor patterns by ensembles of neurons.