Simulation of temporal stochastic phenomena in electronic and biological systems: a comparative review, examples and synergies

Abstract

We concentrate on the temporal stochastic behavior of electronic and biological systems due to mainly intrinsic noise and fluctuation phenomena as opposed to extrinsic crosstalk-like interference or statistical variations in system parameters. We provide an overview of modeling and analysis techniques for noise and fluctuation phenomena in biological systems with comparisons to electronic systems. We present several examples where a synergistic cross-fertilization between the two disciplines seems promising. In particular, we discuss the characterization of conformational fluctuations in proteins, the simulation of stochastic behavior in intracellular processes, and the modeling of noise in biological neurons, neuronal networks, nervous system and the brain.