The local field potential reflects surplus spike synchrony

TY - JOUR

T1 - The local field potential reflects surplus spike synchrony

AU - Denker, Michael

AU - Roux, Sébastien

AU - Lindén, Henrik

AU - Diesmann, Markus

AU - Riehle, Alexa

AU - Grün, Sonja

PY - 2011/12

Y1 - 2011/12

N2 - While oscillations of the local field potential (LFP) are commonly attributed to the synchronization of neuronal firing rate on the same time scale, their relationship to coincident spiking in the millisecond range is unknown. Here, we present experimental evidence to reconcile the notions of synchrony at the level of spiking and at the mesoscopic scale. We demonstrate that only in time intervals of significant spike synchrony that cannot be explained on the basis of firing rates, coincident spikes are better phase locked to the LFP than predicted by the locking of the individual spikes. This effect is enhanced in periods of large LFP amplitudes. A quantitative model explains the LFP dynamics by the orchestrated spiking activity in neuronal groups that contribute the observed surplus synchrony. From the correlation analysis, we infer that neurons participate in different constellations but contribute only a fraction of their spikes to temporally precise spike configurations. This finding provides direct evidence for the hypothesized relation that precise spike synchrony constitutes a major temporally and spatially organized component of the LFP.

AB - While oscillations of the local field potential (LFP) are commonly attributed to the synchronization of neuronal firing rate on the same time scale, their relationship to coincident spiking in the millisecond range is unknown. Here, we present experimental evidence to reconcile the notions of synchrony at the level of spiking and at the mesoscopic scale. We demonstrate that only in time intervals of significant spike synchrony that cannot be explained on the basis of firing rates, coincident spikes are better phase locked to the LFP than predicted by the locking of the individual spikes. This effect is enhanced in periods of large LFP amplitudes. A quantitative model explains the LFP dynamics by the orchestrated spiking activity in neuronal groups that contribute the observed surplus synchrony. From the correlation analysis, we infer that neurons participate in different constellations but contribute only a fraction of their spikes to temporally precise spike configurations. This finding provides direct evidence for the hypothesized relation that precise spike synchrony constitutes a major temporally and spatially organized component of the LFP.

KW - Action Potentials

KW - Animals

KW - Cortical Synchronization

KW - Electrophysiology

KW - Macaca mulatta

KW - Motor Cortex

KW - Neurons

KW - Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted

U2 - 10.1093/cercor/bhr040

DO - 10.1093/cercor/bhr040

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 21508303

VL - 21

SP - 2681

EP - 2695

JO - Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)

JF - Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)

IS - 12

ER -