Single spikes drive sequential propagation and routing of activity in a cortical network.

ABSTRACT: Single spikes can trigger repeatable firing sequences in cortical networks. The mechanisms that support reliable propagation of activity from such small events and their functional consequences remain unclear. By constraining a recurrent network model with experimental statistics from turtle cortex, we generate reliable and temporally precise sequences from single spike triggers. We find that rare strong connections support sequence propagation, while dense weak connections modulate propagation reliability. We identify sections of sequences corresponding to divergent branches of strongly connected neurons which can be selectively gated. Applying external inputs to specific neurons in the sparse backbone of strong connections can effectively control propagation and route activity within the

SUBMITTER: Riquelme JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9925052 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature