  Voltage-activated ion channels vary randomly between open and closed states,
influenced by the membrane potential and other factors. Signal transduction is
enhanced by noise in a simple ion channel model. The enhancement occurs in a
finite range of signals; the range can be extended using populations of
channels. The range increases more rapidly in multiple-threshold channel
populations than in single-threshold populations. The diversity of ion channels
may thus be present as a strategy to reduce the metabolic costs of handling a
broad class of electrochemical signals.
