Response of a pacemaker neuron model to stochastic pulse trains.

We investigated the response of a pacemaker neuron model to trains of inhibitory stochastic impulsive perturbations. The model captures the essential aspect of the dynamics of pacemaker neurons. Especially, the model reproduces linearization by stochastic pulse trains, that is, the disappearance of the paradoxical segments in which the output firing rate of pacemaker neurons increases with inhibition rate, as the coefficient of variation of the input pulse train increases. To study the response of the model to stochastic pulse trains, we use a Markov operator governing the phase transition. We show how linearization occurs based on the spectral analysis of the Markov operator. Moreover, using Lyapunov exponents, we show that variable inputs evoke reliable firing, even in situations where periodic stimulation with the same mean rate does not.