Minimal time spiking in various ChR2-controlled neuron models.

Summary We use conductance based neuron models and the mathematical modeling of Optogenetics to define controlled neuron models and we address the minimal time control of these affine systems for the first spike from equilibrium. We apply tools of geometric optimal control theory to study singular extremals and we implement a direct method to compute optimal controls. When the system is too large to theoretically investigate the existence of singular optimal controls, we observe numerically the optimal bang-bang controls.