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Cortical networks

Getting the timing right

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 6, page 750 (2005)Cite this article

Most synapses onto neurons in the neocortex are supplied by other cortical neurons, forming 'recurrent' or 'feedback' networks. The encoding of information in cortical networks depends on the firing rate of individual neurons and on the temporal precision and relative timing of action potentials between neurons. Cortical networks can generate activity at a wide range of frequencies, but although slow, sleep-related oscillations have been studied in some detail, little is known about the production of higher-frequency cortical oscillations.

Hasenstaub et al. looked at spontaneously occurring recurrent network activity in the ferret dorsal prefrontal cortex. They recorded postsynaptic potentials or currents from cortical pyramidal neurons, showing that GABAA (γ-aminobutyric acid type A) receptor-mediated inhibition is required for the higher-frequency components of network-driven synaptic activity.

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References

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Hasenstaub, A. et al. Inhibitory postsynaptic potentials carry synchronized frequency information in active cortical networks. Neuron 47, 423–435 (2005)

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FURTHER READING

  1. Shu, Y. et al. Turning on and off recurrent balanced cortical activity. Nature 423, 288–293 (2003)

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Authors
  1. Rebecca Craven
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Craven, R. Getting the timing right. Nat Rev Neurosci 6, 750 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1780

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1780

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