Ruling out and ruling in neural codes.

ABSTRACT: The subject of neural coding has generated much debate. A key issue is whether the nervous system uses coarse or fine coding. Each has different strengths and weaknesses and, therefore, different implications for how the brain computes. For example, the strength of coarse coding is that it is robust to fluctuations in spike arrival times; downstream neurons do not have to keep track of the details of the spike train. The weakness, though, is that individual cells cannot carry much information, so downstream neurons have to pool signals across cells and/or time to obtain enough information to represent the sensory world and guide behavior. In contrast, with fine coding, individual cells can carry much more information, but downstream neurons have to resolve spike train structure to obtain i

SUBMITTER: Jacobs AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2657589 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature