.. _naming_conventions:

Variables and parameter names
=============================

Conventions for parameters
--------------------------

#. Do not use capitalization to indicate whether a value in the status dictionary is variable.
#. Where available, use the notation from P.Dayan & L.F.Abbott, Theoretical Neuroscience, MIT Press, 2001.
#. Where not available, use a notation that is consistent with Dayan & Abbott.
#. Subscripts are indicated by underscores

Parameters and symbols
----------------------

+----------------------------------+-------------+
| PARAMETER                        | SYMBOL/NAME |
+==================================+=============+
| Membrane potential               | V_m         |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Resting potential                | E_L         |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Input current                    | I_e         |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Leak current                     | I_L         |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Threshold                        | V_th        |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Reset Potential                  | V_reset     |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Capacity or specific capacitance | c_m         |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Capacitance                      | C_m         |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Membrane time const.             | tau_m       |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Synapse time constant            | tau_syn     |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Refractory period                | t_ref       |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Time of last spike               | t_spike     |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Excitatory reversal potential    | E_ex        |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Inhibitory reversal potential    | E_in        |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Conductance                      | g           |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Leak conductance                 | g_L         |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Sodium conductance               | g_Na        |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Sodium reversal potential        | E_Na        |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Potassium conductance            | g_K         |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| Potassium reversal potential     | E_K         |
+----------------------------------+-------------+

Common suffixes (subscripts)
----------------------------

+----------------------------------+-------------+
| SUBSCRIPT                        | MEANING     |
+==================================+=============+
| m                                | membrane    |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| L                                | leak        |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| e                                | extern      |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| th                               | threshold   |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| syn                              | synapse     |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| ref                              | refractory  |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| ex                               | excitatory  |
+----------------------------------+-------------+
| in                               | inhibitory  |
+----------------------------------+-------------+