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New Aspects of Axonal Structure and Function pp 55–83Cite as

New Insights in Information Processing in the Axon

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Abstract

Axons are generally considered as reliable transmission cables in which stable propagation occurs once an action potential is generated. However, recent findings suggest that the functional capabilities of the axon are much wider than traditionally thought. Beyond axonal propagation, intrinsic voltage-gated conductances together with the geometrical properties of the axon determine complex operations such as branch point failures, reflected propagation, signal amplification, and axonal integration. This review will consider the recent evidence for the role of these forms of axonal computation in the short-term dynamics of neural communication.

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Acknowledgment

Supported by Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Programme “Avenir”), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Ministry of Research (“Actions Incitatives Jeunes Chercheurs” 5169) and Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale. We thank M. Seagar for his constant support and constructive criticisms on the manuscript. SB was supported by Ministry of Research (Doctoral grant) and European Community (LSHM-CT-2004-511995, Synaptic Scaffolding Proteins Orchestrating Cortical Synapse Organisation during Development).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INSERM U641, Marseille, France

    Dominique Debanne & Sami Boudkkazi

  2. Faculté de médecine secteur nord, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France

    Dominique Debanne & Sami Boudkkazi

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  1. Dominique Debanne
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  2. Sami Boudkkazi
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Correspondence to Dominique Debanne .

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  1. Institute for Neurosciences Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, 52425, Germany

    Dirk Feldmeyer

  2. Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, 52425, Germany

    Joachim H.R. Lübke

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Debanne, D., Boudkkazi, S. (2010). New Insights in Information Processing in the Axon. In: Feldmeyer, D., Lübke, J. (eds) New Aspects of Axonal Structure and Function. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1676-1_4

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