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Spike Generating Dynamics and the Conditions for Spike-Time Precision in Cortical Neurons

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Abstract

Temporal precision of spiking response in cortical neurons has been a subject of intense debate. Using a canonical model of spike generation, we explore the conditions for precise and reliable spike timing in the presence of Gaussian white noise. In agreement with previous results we find that constant stimuli lead to imprecise timing, while aperiodic stimuli yield precise spike timing. Under constant stimulus the neuron is a noise perturbed oscillator, the spike times follow renewal statistics and are imprecise. Under an aperiodic stimulus sequence, the neuron acts as a threshold element; the firing times are precisely determined by the dynamics of the stimulus. We further study the dependence of spike-time precision on the input stimulus frequency and find a non-linear tuning whose width can be related to the locking modes of the neuron. We conclude that viewing the neuron as a non-linear oscillator is the key for understanding spike-time precision.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité de Neurosciences Intégratives et Computationnelles, CNRS, UPR-2191, Bat. 33, Avenue de la Terrasse 1, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    Boris Gutkin & Michael Rudolph

  2. Department of Mathematics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA

    G. Bard Ermentrout

  3. Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, University College of London, Alexandra House, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AR, UK

    Michael Rudolph

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  1. Boris Gutkin
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  2. G. Bard Ermentrout
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  3. Michael Rudolph
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Gutkin, B., Ermentrout, G.B. & Rudolph, M. Spike Generating Dynamics and the Conditions for Spike-Time Precision in Cortical Neurons. J Comput Neurosci 15, 91–103 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024426903582

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