Neuronal homeostasis: time for a change?
Open accessAbstract
Abstract Homeostatic processes that regulate electrical activity in neurones are now an established aspect of physiology and rest on a large body of experimental evidence that points to roles in development, learning and memory, and disease. However, the concepts underlying homeostasis are too often summarized in ways that restrict their explanatory power and obviate important subtleties. Here, we present a review of the underlying theory of homeostasis – control theory – in an attempt to reconcile some existing conceptual problems in the context of neuronal physiology. In addition to clarifying the underlying theory, this review highlights the remaining challenges posed when analysing homeostatic phenomena that underlie the regulation of neuronal excitability. Moreover, we suggest approaches for future experimental and computational work that will further our understanding of neuronal homeostasis and the fundamental neurophysiological functions it serves.
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If homeostatic mechanisms are built into models of the CNS, organism-level control may emerge as a natural consequence.
“This position suggests that if we build homeostatic mechanisms directly into our models of the CNS, organism-level control may emerge as a natural consequence.”
From A potential mechanism for Gibsonian resonance: behavioral entrainment emerges from local homeostasis in an unsupervised reservoir network (2024) · cites this paper as O'Leary & Wyllie, 2011
The paper’s J Physiol 589.20 section describes global control of the nervous system as emerging from a hierarchy of regulatory mechanisms, and ‘The need for control’ extends that hierarchy to entire organisms. It does not say that adding homeostatic mechanisms to CNS models will produce organism-level control; that modeling prediction is the citing authors’ extrapolation. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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Cites
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Is prediction nothing more than multi-scale pattern completion of the future?
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- Authors
- O’Leary, T., & Wyllie, D. J. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Edinburgh (GB)
- Venue
- The Journal of Physiology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2011-10-14
- Volume
- 589
- Issue
- 20
- Pages
- 4811-4826
- ISSN
- 0022-3751 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-7793
- PMC
- PMC3224876
- OpenAlex
- W1800303662
- Cited by
- 74
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 0.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- The Journal of Physiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Cambridge University Engineering Department Publications Database (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Ion channel regulation and function
- Keywords
- neuronal homeostasis, control theory, neuronal excitability, homeostatic regulation, computational neuroscience, neurophysiology
- MeSH terms
- Homeostasis, Humans, Models, Neurological, Neurons
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