Clone a Channel Builder

Step 1. Clone a Channel Builder, specified in terms of a kinetic scheme, to a new Channel Builder "as a Point Process"

A. Clone a Channel builder.

Start NEURON and load the session file for the three state deterministic model (mykhh.ses). Clone it to a new Channel Builder as a "point process" by clicking on Properties / Clone channel type / As Point Process

It's easy to distinguish these Channel Builders from each other. The original one has a drag bar that is labeled "ChannelBuild[0] managed KSChan[0]". and its top panel declares that it specifies the properties of the "mykhh Density Mechanism".

The drag bar of the new one is labeled "ChannelBuild[1] managed KSChan[1]" and its top panel says that it specifies the properties of the "mykhh0 Point Process".

To prevent any confusion, let's close the original Channel Builder (click on the Close button of ChannelBuild[0]).

We will now use the Properties menu of the new Channel Builder to give the channel a more descriptive name, and enable it to simulate stochastic gating.

B. Give the new channel a more descriptive name.

We already know how to specify the name of a channel (Properties / Channel Name). A good descriptive name for this one would be mykhhst ("st" to remind us that it is "stochastic"). After the name change, the top panel looks like this

This is a good time to save the new Channel Builder to a session file; let's call this file mykhhst.ses.

C. Enable stochastic gating.

To make this Channel Builder able to simulate single channel gating, click on Properties / Allow Single Channels.

The top panel should now show that single channel gating is allowed.

Save the Channel Builder to mykhhst.ses again, and exit NEURON. mykhhst.ses is ready to be tested.

Next we will test this new stochastic channel mechanism in a model cell.

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