  Biological systems are notoriously noisy. Noise, therefore, also plays an
important role in many models of neural impulse generation. Noise is not only
introduced for more realistic simulations but also to account for cooperative
effects between noisy and nonlinear dynamics. Often, this is achieved by a
simple noise term in the membrane equation (current noise). However, there are
ongoing discussions whether such current noise is justified or whether rather
conductance noise should be introduced because it is closer to the natural
origin of noise. Therefore, we have compared the effects of current and
conductance noise in a neuronal model for subthreshold oscillations and action
potential generation. We did not see any significant differences in the model
behavior with respect to voltage traces, tuning curves of interspike-intervals,
interval distributions or frequency responses when the noise strength is
adjusted. These findings indicate that simple current noise can give reasonable
results in neuronal simulations with regard to physiological relevant noise
effects.
