Neuronal cell types are very diverse, both with respect to morphology as well as ion channel composition. The cellular properties shape neural computation, not only at the single cell level but also in networks and even behaviour (1-3). According to how action potentials are generated, neuronal spike generation in regularly firing cells falls into one of a few classes that differ in their computational properties.

In inhibitory neurons, the affiliation to the excitability class primes whether neurons will tend to synchronize with each other. Consequently, cellular properties and among these ion-channels, in particular, have to be under homeostatic regulation, particularly when they are close to the border between two excitability classes (4).

In the project, we will investigate the excitability classes of interneurons, profiting from a rich variety of interneurons explored by our experimental colleagues in the CRC and analyze their computational consequences.