Multi-channel shot noise and characterization of cortical network activity.

Michael Rudolph (1, 2) , Alain Destexhe (1, 2)

1 UNIC - Unité de neurosciences intégratives et computationnelles
2 INAF - Institut de Neurobiologie Alfred Fessard

Neurons in cerebral cortex are characterized by a stochastic subthreshold membrane potential (Vm) activity, which originates from the ongoing and irregular activity of neurons in the cortical network. Here, we propose a way of characterizing this network activity by using the notion of shot noise applied to pulse-based kinetic models of synaptic conductances. We link the statistical characterization of synaptic conductances in terms of their mean and variance to the activity in the network, in particular the average firing rate of presynaptic neurons and their temporal correlation, thus providing a possible method for characterizing cortical network activity from intracellularly recorded Vm activity.

Mots clés: Cerebral cortex; Subthreshold activity; Synaptic noise

Domaines: Neurosciences [q-bio.NC]

Michael Rudolph, Alain Destexhe. Multi-channel shot noise and characterization of cortical network activity.. Neurocomputing, 2005, 65-66, pp.641. ⟨10.1016/j.neucom.2004.10.058⟩. ⟨hal-00018641⟩