EMERGENCE OF SPATIOTEMPORAL PATTERNS IN NEURONAL-ACTIVITY

This paper explores if dynamic modulation of coherent firing serves co rtical functions. We recorded neuronal activity in the frontal cortex of behaving monkeys and found that temporal coincidences of spikes fir ing of different neurons can emerge within a fraction of a second in r elation to the animal behavior. The temporal patterns of the correlati on could not be predicted from the modulations of the neurons firing r ate and finally, the patterns of correlation depend on the distance be tween neurons. These findings call for a revision of prevailing models of neural coding that solely rely on firing rates. The findings sugge st that modification of neuronal interactions can serve as a mechanism by which neurons associate rapidly into a functional group in order t o perform a specific computational task. Increased correlation between members of the groups, and decreased or negative correlation with oth ers, enhance the ability to dissociate one group from concurrently act ivated competing groups. Such modulation of neuronal interactions allo ws each neuron to become a member of several different groups and part icipate in different computational tasks.