Biological validation of a computational model of nitric oxide dynamics by emulating the nitric oxide diffusion experiment in the endothelium

Abstract

Understanding how the brain works, how it is structured and how it computes is one of the goals of computational neuroscience. An essential step in this direction is to understand the cellular communication that enables the transition from nerve cells to cognition. It is now accepted that the links between neurons are not only established by synaptic connection, but also by the confluence of different cellular signals that affect global brain activity, with the underlying mechanism being the diffusion of neuroactive substances into the extracellular space (ECS). One of these substances is the free radical gas nitric oxide (NO), which, in turn, determines a new type of information transmission: the volume transmission (VT). VT is a non-simple form of short- and long-distance communication that acts not only as a microenvironment to separate nerve cells, but also as an information channel [1, 2]. NO is a signaling molecule that is synthesized in a number of tissues by NO synthases and has the ability to regulate its own production. It is lipid soluble, membrane permeable and has a high diffusivity in both aqueous and lipid environments.