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Stable propagation of synchronous spiking in cortical neural networks

Nature volume 402, pages 529–533 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

The classical view of neural coding has emphasized the importance of information carried by the rate at which neurons discharge action potentials. More recent proposals that information may be carried by precise spike timing1,2,3,4,5 have been challenged by the assumption that these neurons operate in a noisy fashion—presumably reflecting fluctuations in synaptic input6—and, thus, incapable of transmitting signals with millisecond fidelity. Here we show that precisely synchronized action potentials can propagate within a model of cortical network activity that recapitulates many of the features of biological systems. An attractor, yielding a stable spiking precision in the (sub)millisecond range, governs the dynamics of synchronization. Our results indicate that a combinatorial neural code, based on rapid associations of groups of neurons co-ordinating their activity at the single spike level, is possible within a cortical-like network.

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Figure 1: Propagation of synchronous spiking in cortical networks.
Figure 2: Neural transmission function for pulse-packet input.
Figure 3: State-space analysis of propagating spike synchrony.
Figure 4: Dependence of the spike synchrony state space on the size of the neuron groups.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Abeles, E. Bienenstock, S. Grün, I. Nelken, A. Riehle, S. Rotter and C. von der Malsburg for their constructive comments. Supported in part by grants for the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the German–Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development, and Human Frontier Science Program..

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Author notes

  1. Markus Diesmann

    Present address: Department of Nonlinear Dynamics, Max-Planck-Institut für Stömungsforschung, Göttingen, Germany

  2. Marc-Oliver Gewaltig

    Present address: Future Technology Research, Honda R&D Europe, Offenbach, Germany

  3. Ad Aertsen: Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to A.A.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurobiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biology III, Albert-Ludwigs-University, Schänzlestraße 1, Freiburg, D-79104, Germany

    Markus Diesmann, Marc-Oliver Gewaltig & Ad Aertsen

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  1. Markus Diesmann
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Correspondence to Ad Aertsen.

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Diesmann, M., Gewaltig, MO. & Aertsen, A. Stable propagation of synchronous spiking in cortical neural networks. Nature 402, 529–533 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/990101

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