Statistical significance of coincident spikes: Count-based versus rate-based statistics

Inspired by different conceptualizations of temporal neural coding schemes, there has been recent interest in the search for signs of precisely synchr onized neural activity in the cortex. One method developed for this task is unitary-event analysis. This method tests multiple single-neuron recording s for short epochs with significantly more coincident spikes than expected from independent neurons. We reformulated the statistical test underlying t his method using a coincidence count distribution based on empirical spike counts rather than on estimated spike probabilities. In the case of two neu rons, the requirement of stationary firing rates, originally imposed on bot h neurons, can be relaxed; only the rate of one neuron needs to be stationa ry, while the other may follow an arbitrary time course. By analytical calc ulations of the test power curves of the original and the revised method, w e demonstrate that the test power can be increased by a factor of two or mo re in physiologically realistic regimes. In addition, we analyze the effect ive significance levels of both methods for neural firing rates ranging bet ween 0.2 Hz and 30 Hz.