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Novel modes in a Wilson-Cowan network
BMC Neuroscience volume 16, Article number: P271 (2015)
Spontaneous [1] and synaptically-driven neural activity exhibit a wide variety of dynamics. In the latter case, recent experiments using spike-triggered LFPs [2] have been able to classify stimulated behavior into two distinct categories: 1) traveling waves with smooth attenuation when the input is weak; and, 2) localized responses when the impulse is strong. Unfortunately, our knowledge of the mechanisms behind these differences is lacking on both the cellular and network scales.
This study, employing the spatiotemporal mean-field Wilson-Cowan equations [3], provides a model for the nature of these two modes at the population level. Just as in [2], we detect damped traveling waves with exponential decay when the input is relatively small. When the stimulus increases, the activity stays localized as evidenced by the large slope in the peaks of the activity.
Conclusions
Understanding the contrast between traveling and localized activity in synaptically-driven neural networks is an important task due to its wide range of applications to areas such as vision, sleep and epilepsy. Here, it was shown that a simple population model exhibits both modes of behavior. This result allows us to further study how various network properties such as density and connectivity strength give rise to these kinds of activity.
References
Mao B, Aronov D, Froemke R, Yuste R: Dynamics of Spontaneous Activity in Neocortical Slices. Neuron. 2001, 32 (6): 883-898.
Nauhaus I, Busse L, Ringach D, Carandini M: Robustness of Traveling Waves in Ongoing Activity of Visual Cortex. J. Neuroscience. 2012, 32 (9): 3088-3094.
Wilson H, Cowan J: A mathematical theory of the functional dynamics of cortical and thalamic nervous tissue. Kybernetik. 1973, 13 (2): 55-80.
Acknowledgement
This work was supported by the Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust Fund.
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Neuman, J., Cowan, J.D. & van Drongelen, W. Novel modes in a Wilson-Cowan network. BMC Neurosci 16 (Suppl 1), P271 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2202-16-S1-P271
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2202-16-S1-P271