DendroTweaks: An interactive approach for unraveling dendritic dynamics

Abstract

Neurons rely on the interplay between two critical components, dendritic morphology and ion channels, to transform synaptic inputs into a sequence of somatic spikes. Detailed biophysical models with active dendrites have been instrumental in exploring this interaction. However, such models can be challenging to understand and validate due to the large number of parameters involved. In this work, we introduce DendroTweaks, a toolbox designed to make detailed biophysical models with active dendrites more intuitive and more interactive. DendroTweaks features a web-based graphical interface, where users can explore single-cell neuronal models and adjust their morphological and biophysical parameters with real-time visual feedback. In particular, DendroTweaks focuses on subcellular properties, such as kinetics and distribution of ion channels, as well as the dynamics and placement of synaptic inputs. The toolbox supports various experimental protocols designed to illuminate how morpho-electric properties map to dendritic events and how these dendritic events shape neuronal output, thereby enhancing model validation. It helps users build high-level, modular model representations and includes a rich set of tools for parsing, generating, and standardizing commonly used neuronal data formats. Finally, it enables model simplification through a built-in morphology reduction algorithm, allowing users to export models for further use in faster, more interpretable networks. By combining extensive visualization capabilities and comprehensive data management functionality, DendroTweaks introduces a novel interactive approach for unraveling dendritic dynamics. This approach will accelerate research on dendritic computations, their underlying mechanisms, and their fundamental role in brain function.