Metastability and Inter-Band Frequency Modulation in Networks of Oscillating Spiking Neuron Populations
Metastability and Inter-Band Frequency Modulation in Networks of Oscillating Spiking Neuron Populations
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0062234
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发表时间：
2013-04-16
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Shanahan, Murray
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bhowmik, David;Shanahan, Murray
许多认知功能，如注意力、联想学习、记忆和感觉选择，都是由一组同步放电的神经元组成的。最近的理论表明，同步和去同步的瞬时周期提供了一种动态整合和形成功能相关神经区联盟的机制，并且在这些时间段，信息传递的条件是最佳的。振荡的神经细胞群体表现出很大的频谱复杂性，几个节律在不同的结构中暂时共存，并相互作用。本文利用二次积分点火神经元和Hodgkin-Huxley神经元的模型研究了神经振荡器之间的带间频率调制。我们改变了神经振荡器网络中的结构连通性，评估了频谱复杂性，并关联了带间频率调制。我们将这种相关性与亚稳定联盟的熵和同步性的度量进行了对比。我们的结果表明，不同神经种群中的振荡相互调制以改变频率，并且作为一个整体，网络中这些波动频率的相互作用能够驱动不同神经种群走向同步事件。此外，我们在连通性空间中定位了一个区域，在该区域中，系统以这种方式引导自己，以便探索大量的同步联盟。我们认为，这种动力学有助于在功能相关的神经区之间进行多才多艺的探索、整合和交流，从而支持大脑中复杂的认知处理。
Groups of neurons firing synchronously are hypothesized to underlie many cognitive functions such as attention, associative learning, memory, and sensory selection. Recent theories suggest that transient periods of synchronization and desynchronization provide a mechanism for dynamically integrating and forming coalitions of functionally related neural areas, and that at these times conditions are optimal for information transfer. Oscillating neural populations display a great amount of spectral complexity, with several rhythms temporally coexisting in different structures and interacting with each other. This paper explores inter-band frequency modulation between neural oscillators using models of quadratic integrate-and-fire neurons and Hodgkin-Huxley neurons. We vary the structural connectivity in a network of neural oscillators, assess the spectral complexity, and correlate the inter-band frequency modulation. We contrast this correlation against measures of metastable coalition entropy and synchrony. Our results show that oscillations in different neural populations modulate each other so as to change frequency, and that the interaction of these fluctuating frequencies in the network as a whole is able to drive different neural populations towards episodes of synchrony. Further to this, we locate an area in the connectivity space in which the system directs itself in this way so as to explore a large repertoire of synchronous coalitions. We suggest that such dynamics facilitate versatile exploration, integration, and communication between functionally related neural areas, and thereby supports sophisticated cognitive processing in the brain.