Work

A Simple Model of Cortical Dynamics Explains Variability and State Dependence of Sensory Responses in Urethane-Anesthetized Auditory Cortex

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: The responses of neocortical cells to sensory stimuli are variable and state dependent. It has been hypothesized that intrinsic cortical dynamics play an important role in trial-to-trial variability; the precise nature of this dependence, however, is poorly understood. We show here that in auditory cortex of urethane-anesthetized rats, population responses to click stimuli can be quantitatively predicted on a trial-by-trial basis by a simple dynamical system model estimated from spontaneous activity immediately preceding stimulus presentation. Changes in cortical state correspond consistently to changes in model dynamics, reflecting a nonlinear, self-exciting system in synchronized states and an approximately linear system in desynchronized states. We propose that the complex and state-dependent pattern of trial-to-trial variability can be explained by a simple principle: sensory responses are shaped by the same intrinsic dynamics that govern ongoing spontaneous activity.

Source: Journal of Neuroscience

DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2053-09.2009

Authors: Carina Curto, Shuzo Sakata, Stephan Marguet, Vladimir Itskov, Kenneth D. Harris

Institutions: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, University of Strathclyde

Language: English

Topic: Neural dynamics and brain function

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Awards: CRCNS: Info. Process. & Neuronal Coordination: Neocortex, CRCNS: Dynamics of the auditory cortical column