Cortical reorganization consistent with spike timing but not correlation-dependent plasticity

Authors

Joshua M. Young, University of Sydney
Wioletta J. Waleszczyk, University of Sydney
Chun Wang, University of Sydney
Michael B. Calford, University of Wollongong
Bogdan Dreher, University of Sydney
Klaus Obermayer, Humboldt-University, Berlin

RIS ID

80084

Publication Details

Young, J. M., Waleszczyk, W. J., Wang, C., Calford, M. B., Dreher, B. & Obermayer, K. (2007). Cortical reorganization consistent with spike timing but not correlation-dependent plasticity. Nature Neuroscience, 10 (7), 887-895.

Abstract

The receptive fields of neurons in primary visual cortex that are inactivated by retinal damage are known to 'shift' to nondamaged retinal locations, seemingly due to the plasticity of intracortical connections. We have observed in cats that these shifts occur in a pattern that is highly convergent, even among receptive fields that are separated by large distances before inactivation. Here we show, using a computational model of primary visual cortex, that the observed convergent shifts are inconsistent with the common assumption that the underlying intracortical connection plasticity is dependent on the temporal correlation of pre- and postsynaptic action potentials. The shifts are, however, consistent with the hypothesis that this plasticity is dependent on the temporal order of pre- and postsynaptic action potentials. This convergent reorganization seems to require increased neuronal gain, revealing a mechanism that networks may use to selectively facilitate the didactic transfer of neuronal response properties.