A new perspective on the organization of neuronal activity in neocortex and its implications for neuronal information processing and coding
Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Based on the premise that meaningful cognitive activity relies on a directed coordination of multineuronal electrical activity, this thesis tries to characterize the properties of non-randomly occurring spatiotemporal discharge patterns in cortical brain slices and to relate them to cognitive processes and functions in a theoretical way. The electrical activity of up to 125 neurons was directly recorded in parallel with high temporal precision using a novel recording setup. The analysis of the activity patterns, conducted using a newly developed statistical method, revealed repeating sequences of synchronously (< 5 ms) active groups of cells. Their temporal organization was found to be consistent with the concept of Hebbian "phase sequences". A new hypothesis explains the directed synchronization of distributed neuronal signals through the coordinated adjustment of response latencies of a group of cells in consequence of synaptic plasticity.
Author: Gansel, Kai S.
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W184089903