Parameter Estimation in Synaptic Coupling Model Using a Point Process Modeling Framework

Biophysical models are widely used to characterize temporal dynamics of the brain networks on different topological and spatial scales. In parallel, the state-space modeling framework with point process observations has been successfully applied in characterizing spiking activity of neuronal ensembles in response to different dynamical covariates. Parameter estimation in biophysical models is generally done heuristically, which hampers their applicability and interpretability. Heuristic parameter estimation becomes an intractable problem when the number of model parameters grows. Here, we propose an algorithm for estimating biophysical model parameters using point-process models and a state-space framework. The framework provides methods for parameter estimation as well as model validation. We demonstrate the application of this methodology to the problem of estimating the parameters of a dynamic synapse model. We generate simulation data for the dynamic synapse across a range of parameters values and assess the estimation accuracy of our method using a combination of goodness-of-fit measures. The proposed methodology can be applied broadly to parameter estimation problems across a broad range of biophysical models, including Hodgkin-Huxley models and network models.