Origin and role of neural signatures in bursting neurons

Abstract

Abstract.A traditional view in neuroscience is that information arriving through one channel, i.e. a synapse, is encoded through a single code in the signal, e.g., the rate or the precise timing of the incoming events. However, not all the neural readers have to be interested in the same aspect of a common input signal, especially in multifunctional networks that can take advantage of several simultaneous codes. Multiple codes can be used to discriminate or contextualize certain inputs, even in single neurons. Dynamical mechanisms can add to the existing hard-wired connectivity for this task. Recent experiments have revealed the existence of neural signatures in the activity of bursting cells of invertebrate central pattern generators. These signatures consist of cell-specific spike timings in the bursting activity of the neurons. The signatures coexist with the information encoded in the frequency and/or phase relationships of the slow waves. The functional role of these neural fingerprints is still unclear. Based on experiments and using conductance-based models, we discuss the origin and the role of neural signatures as a part of a multicoding strategy for single cells in different types of neural circuits.