Dynamics of striate cortical activity in the alert macaque: I. Incidence and stimulus-dependence of gamma-band neuronal oscillations

Using single and multiunit recordings in the striate cortex of alert macaqu e monkeys, we find that gamma-hand (20-70 Hz) oscillations in neuronal firi ng are a prominent feature of V1 neuronal activity. The properties of this rhythmic activity are very similar to those previously observed in the cat. Gamma band activity is strongly dependent on visual stimulation, largely a bsent during spontaneous activity and, under the conditions of our experime nt, not time-locked to the vertical refresh of the computer monitor (80 Hz) used to present the stimuli. In our sample, 61% of multiunit activity (MUA ) and 46% of single unit activity (SUA) was significantly oscillatory, with mean frequencies of 48 +/- 9 and 42 +/- 13 Hz, respectively. Gamma band ac tivity was most likely to occur when cells were activated by their optimal stimuli, but still occurred, although less often and with lower amplitude, in response to nonoptimal stimuli. The frequency of gamma-band activity als o reflected stimulus properties, with drifting gratings evoking higher-freq uency oscillations than stationary gratings. As in the cat, the spike train s of single cells showing gamma-band oscillations often displayed a pattern of repetitive burst firing, with intraburst firing rates of 300-800 Hz. Th e overall similarity of rhythmic neuronal activity in the primary visual co rtex of cats and monkeys suggests that the phenomenon is not species-specif ic. The stimulus-dependence of the rhythmic activity is consistent with a f unctional role in visual perception.