Open Biology (Sep 2024)

In silico modelling of neuron signal impact of cytokine storm-induced demyelination

  • Geoflly L. Adonias,
  • Harun Siljak,
  • Sasitharan Balasubramaniam,
  • Michael Taynnan Barros

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsob.240138
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 9

Abstract

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In this study, we develop an in silico model of a neuron’s behaviour under demyelination caused by a cytokine storm to investigate the effects of viral infections in the brain. We use a comprehensive model to measure how cytokine-induced demyelination affects the propagation of action potential (AP) signals within a neuron. We analysed the effects of neuron-neuron communications by applying information and communication theory at different levels of demyelination. Our simulations demonstrate that virus-induced degeneration can play a role in the signal power and spiking rate, which compromise the propagation and processing of information between neurons. We propose a transfer function to model the weakening effects on the AP. Our results show that demyelination induced by a cytokine storm not only degrades the signal but also impairs its propagation within the axon. Our proposed in silico model can analyse virus-induced neurodegeneration and enhance our understanding of virus-induced demyelination.

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