DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1627-06.2006. Dynamics and Effective Topology Underlying Synchronization in Networks of Cortical Neurons

Dynamics and Effective Topology Underlying Synchronization in Networks of Cortical Neurons

10.1523/jneurosci.1627-06.2006

Crossref journal-article

Society for Neuroscience

The Journal of Neuroscience (393)

Abstract

Cognitive processes depend on synchronization and propagation of electrical activity within and between neuronal assemblies.In vivomeasurements show that the size of individual assemblies depends on their function and varies considerably, but the timescale of assembly activation is in the range of 0.1–0.2 s and is primarily independent of assembly size. Here we use anin vitroexperimental model of cortical assemblies to characterize the process underlying the timescale of synchronization, its relationship to the effective topology of connectivity within an assembly, and its impact on propagation of activity within and between assemblies. We show that the basic mode of assembly activation, “network spike,” is a threshold-governed, synchronized population event of 0.1–0.2 s duration and follows the logistics of neuronal recruitment in an effectively scale-free connected network. Accordingly, the sequence of neuronal activation within a network spike is nonrandom and hierarchical; a small subset of neurons is consistently recruited tens of milliseconds before others. Theory predicts that scale-free topology allows for synchronization time that does not increase markedly with network size; our experiments with networks of different densities support this prediction. The activity of early-to-fire neurons reliably forecasts an upcoming network spike and provides means for expedited propagation between assemblies. We demonstrate this capacity by observing the dynamics of two artificially coupled assembliesin vitro, using neuronal activity of one as a trigger for electrical stimulation of the other.

Bibliography

Eytan, D., & Marom, S. (2006). Dynamics and Effective Topology Underlying Synchronization in Networks of Cortical Neurons. The Journal of Neuroscience, 26(33), 8465â8476.

Authors 2

Danny Eytan (first)
Shimon Marom (additional)

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Dates

Type	When
Created	19 years ago (Aug. 16, 2006, 3:42 p.m.)
Deposited	2 years, 4 months ago (April 13, 2023, 1:34 p.m.)
Indexed	2 days, 7 hours ago (Aug. 22, 2025, 12:47 a.m.)
Issued	19 years ago (Aug. 16, 2006)
Published	19 years ago (Aug. 16, 2006)
Published Online	19 years ago (Aug. 16, 2006)
Published Print	19 years ago (Aug. 16, 2006)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Eytan_2006, title={Dynamics and Effective Topology Underlying Synchronization in Networks of Cortical Neurons}, volume={26}, ISSN={1529-2401}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.1627-06.2006}, DOI={10.1523/jneurosci.1627-06.2006}, number={33}, journal={The Journal of Neuroscience}, publisher={Society for Neuroscience}, author={Eytan, Danny and Marom, Shimon}, year={2006}, month=aug, pages={8465–8476} }

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