Biomedical subjects

R A Barrio

Publications and source records attributed to R A Barrio.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2002

Turing patterns with pentagonal symmetry.

We explore numerically the formation of Turing patterns in a confined circular domain with small aspect ratio. Our results show that stable fivefold patterns are formed over a well defined range of disk sizes, offering a possible mechanism for inducing the fivefold symmetry observed in early development of regular echinoids. Using this pattern as a seed, more complex biological structures can be mimicked, such as the pigmentation pattern of sea urchins and the plate arrangements of the calyxes of primitive camerate crinoids.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1999

Turing patterns on a sphere.

We address the problem of pattern formation on the surface of a sphere using Turing equations. By considering a generic reaction-diffusion model, we numerically investigate the patterns formed under different conditions on the parameter values. Our results show that a closed surface with curvature, as a sphere, imposes geometrical restrictions on the shape of the pattern. This is important in some biological systems where curvature plays an important role in guiding chemical, biochemical, and embryological processes.

Biophysical Phenomena↗

PubMed1997

Hierarchically coupled ultradian oscillators generating robust circadian rhythms.

Ensembles of mutually coupled ultradian cellular oscillators have been proposed by a number of authors to explain the generation of circadian rhythms in mammals. Most mathematical models using many coupled oscillators predict that the output period should vary as the square root of the number of participating units, thus being inconsistent with the well-established experimental result that ablation of substantial parts of the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), the main circadian pacemaker in mammals, does not eliminate the overt circadian functions, which show no changes in the phases or periods of the rhythms. From these observations, we have developed a theoretical model that exhibits the robustness of the circadian clock to changes in the number of cells in the SCN, and that is readily adaptable to include the successful features of other known models of circadian regulation, such as the phase response curves and light resetting of the phase.

Activity Cycles↗

PubMed1995

Rhythmic firing patterns in suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN): the rôle of circuit interactions.

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is believed to contain the main generator of circadian rhythmicity in mammals. In order to obtain further functional details of this, electrophysiological extracellular measurements in vitro were made. By means of an interspike interval distribution analysis, it is shown that there is a novel kind of neuronal firing pattern: the harmonic pattern. From these observations, we have developed a theoretical model based on possible filtering processes occurring during synaptic transmission. The model suffices to infer that regular ultradian oscillators could be an emergent property of circuit interactions of cells in the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

Action Potentials↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A new pattern of neuronal firing in the suprachiasmatic nucleus in vitro and a possible mechanism which induces rhythmicity.

Electrophysiological studies of neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, of rat brain slices in vitro, reveal characteristic firing patterns which have been previously classified as regular, irregular and bursting. A new kind of neuronal firing is found, by means of an interspike interval distribution analysis. Based on these results a new classification scheme is suggested. A model to explain the presence of all the experimental patterns is delivered. The model not only suffices to infer the presence of regular oscillators, but also suggests interesting consequences concerning the components of the circadian system and their statistical behavior.

Action Potentials↗