9,390 research outputs found
Integration of continuous-time dynamics in a spiking neural network simulator
Contemporary modeling approaches to the dynamics of neural networks consider
two main classes of models: biologically grounded spiking neurons and
functionally inspired rate-based units. The unified simulation framework
presented here supports the combination of the two for multi-scale modeling
approaches, the quantitative validation of mean-field approaches by spiking
network simulations, and an increase in reliability by usage of the same
simulation code and the same network model specifications for both model
classes. While most efficient spiking simulations rely on the communication of
discrete events, rate models require time-continuous interactions between
neurons. Exploiting the conceptual similarity to the inclusion of gap junctions
in spiking network simulations, we arrive at a reference implementation of
instantaneous and delayed interactions between rate-based models in a spiking
network simulator. The separation of rate dynamics from the general connection
and communication infrastructure ensures flexibility of the framework. We
further demonstrate the broad applicability of the framework by considering
various examples from the literature ranging from random networks to neural
field models. The study provides the prerequisite for interactions between
rate-based and spiking models in a joint simulation
Intrinsically-generated fluctuating activity in excitatory-inhibitory networks
Recurrent networks of non-linear units display a variety of dynamical regimes
depending on the structure of their synaptic connectivity. A particularly
remarkable phenomenon is the appearance of strongly fluctuating, chaotic
activity in networks of deterministic, but randomly connected rate units. How
this type of intrinsi- cally generated fluctuations appears in more realistic
networks of spiking neurons has been a long standing question. To ease the
comparison between rate and spiking networks, recent works investigated the
dynami- cal regimes of randomly-connected rate networks with segregated
excitatory and inhibitory populations, and firing rates constrained to be
positive. These works derived general dynamical mean field (DMF) equations
describing the fluctuating dynamics, but solved these equations only in the
case of purely inhibitory networks. Using a simplified excitatory-inhibitory
architecture in which DMF equations are more easily tractable, here we show
that the presence of excitation qualitatively modifies the fluctuating activity
compared to purely inhibitory networks. In presence of excitation,
intrinsically generated fluctuations induce a strong increase in mean firing
rates, a phenomenon that is much weaker in purely inhibitory networks.
Excitation moreover induces two different fluctuating regimes: for moderate
overall coupling, recurrent inhibition is sufficient to stabilize fluctuations,
for strong coupling, firing rates are stabilized solely by the upper bound
imposed on activity, even if inhibition is stronger than excitation. These
results extend to more general network architectures, and to rate networks
receiving noisy inputs mimicking spiking activity. Finally, we show that
signatures of the second dynamical regime appear in networks of
integrate-and-fire neurons
Transition to chaos in random neuronal networks
Firing patterns in the central nervous system often exhibit strong temporal
irregularity and heterogeneity in their time averaged response properties.
Previous studies suggested that these properties are outcome of an intrinsic
chaotic dynamics. Indeed, simplified rate-based large neuronal networks with
random synaptic connections are known to exhibit sharp transition from fixed
point to chaotic dynamics when the synaptic gain is increased. However, the
existence of a similar transition in neuronal circuit models with more
realistic architectures and firing dynamics has not been established.
In this work we investigate rate based dynamics of neuronal circuits composed
of several subpopulations and random connectivity. Nonzero connections are
either positive-for excitatory neurons, or negative for inhibitory ones, while
single neuron output is strictly positive; in line with known constraints in
many biological systems. Using Dynamic Mean Field Theory, we find the phase
diagram depicting the regimes of stable fixed point, unstable dynamic and
chaotic rate fluctuations. We characterize the properties of systems near the
chaotic transition and show that dilute excitatory-inhibitory architectures
exhibit the same onset to chaos as a network with Gaussian connectivity.
Interestingly, the critical properties near transition depend on the shape of
the single- neuron input-output transfer function near firing threshold.
Finally, we investigate network models with spiking dynamics. When synaptic
time constants are slow relative to the mean inverse firing rates, the network
undergoes a sharp transition from fast spiking fluctuations and static firing
rates to a state with slow chaotic rate fluctuations. When the synaptic time
constants are finite, the transition becomes smooth and obeys scaling
properties, similar to crossover phenomena in statistical mechanicsComment: 28 Pages, 12 Figures, 5 Appendice
Modeling networks of spiking neurons as interacting processes with memory of variable length
We consider a new class of non Markovian processes with a countable number of
interacting components, both in discrete and continuous time. Each component is
represented by a point process indicating if it has a spike or not at a given
time. The system evolves as follows. For each component, the rate (in
continuous time) or the probability (in discrete time) of having a spike
depends on the entire time evolution of the system since the last spike time of
the component. In discrete time this class of systems extends in a non trivial
way both Spitzer's interacting particle systems, which are Markovian, and
Rissanen's stochastic chains with memory of variable length which have finite
state space. In continuous time they can be seen as a kind of Rissanen's
variable length memory version of the class of self-exciting point processes
which are also called "Hawkes processes", however with infinitely many
components. These features make this class a good candidate to describe the
time evolution of networks of spiking neurons. In this article we present a
critical reader's guide to recent papers dealing with this class of models,
both in discrete and in continuous time. We briefly sketch results concerning
perfect simulation and existence issues, de-correlation between successive
interspike intervals, the longtime behavior of finite non-excited systems and
propagation of chaos in mean field systems
Synchronization of electrically coupled resonate-and-fire neurons
Electrical coupling between neurons is broadly present across brain areas and
is typically assumed to synchronize network activity. However, intrinsic
properties of the coupled cells can complicate this simple picture. Many cell
types with strong electrical coupling have been shown to exhibit resonant
properties, and the subthreshold fluctuations arising from resonance are
transmitted through electrical synapses in addition to action potentials. Using
the theory of weakly coupled oscillators, we explore the effect of both
subthreshold and spike-mediated coupling on synchrony in small networks of
electrically coupled resonate-and-fire neurons, a hybrid neuron model with
linear subthreshold dynamics and discrete post-spike reset. We calculate the
phase response curve using an extension of the adjoint method that accounts for
the discontinuity in the dynamics. We find that both spikes and resonant
subthreshold fluctuations can jointly promote synchronization. The subthreshold
contribution is strongest when the voltage exhibits a significant post-spike
elevation in voltage, or plateau. Additionally, we show that the geometry of
trajectories approaching the spiking threshold causes a "reset-induced shear"
effect that can oppose synchrony in the presence of network asymmetry, despite
having no effect on the phase-locking of symmetrically coupled pairs
Macroscopic equations governing noisy spiking neuronal populations
At functional scales, cortical behavior results from the complex interplay of
a large number of excitable cells operating in noisy environments. Such systems
resist to mathematical analysis, and computational neurosciences have largely
relied on heuristic partial (and partially justified) macroscopic models, which
successfully reproduced a number of relevant phenomena. The relationship
between these macroscopic models and the spiking noisy dynamics of the
underlying cells has since then been a great endeavor. Based on recent
mean-field reductions for such spiking neurons, we present here {a principled
reduction of large biologically plausible neuronal networks to firing-rate
models, providing a rigorous} relationship between the macroscopic activity of
populations of spiking neurons and popular macroscopic models, under a few
assumptions (mainly linearity of the synapses). {The reduced model we derive
consists of simple, low-dimensional ordinary differential equations with}
parameters and {nonlinearities derived from} the underlying properties of the
cells, and in particular the noise level. {These simple reduced models are
shown to reproduce accurately the dynamics of large networks in numerical
simulations}. Appropriate parameters and functions are made available {online}
for different models of neurons: McKean, Fitzhugh-Nagumo and Hodgkin-Huxley
models
Large-scale Spatiotemporal Spike Patterning Consistent with Wave Propagation in Motor Cortex
Aggregate signals in cortex are known to be spatiotemporally organized as propagating waves across the cortical surface, but it remains unclear whether the same is true for spiking activity in individual neurons. Furthermore, the functional interactions between cortical neurons are well documented but their spatial arrangement on the cortical surface has been largely ignored. Here we use a functional network analysis to demonstrate that a subset of motor cortical neurons in non-human primates spatially coordinate their spiking activity in a manner that closely matches wave propagation measured in the beta oscillatory band of the local field potential. We also demonstrate that sequential spiking of pairs of neuron contains task-relevant information that peaks when the neurons are spatially oriented along the wave axis. We hypothesize that the spatial anisotropy of spike patterning may reflect the underlying organization of motor cortex and may be a general property shared by other cortical areas
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