Abstract
Following the discovery of context-dependent synchronization of oscillatory neuronal responses in the visual system, the role of neural synchrony in cortical networks has been expanded to provide a general mechanism for the coordination of distributed neural activity patterns. In the current paper, we present an update of the status of this hypothesis through summarizing recent results from our laboratory that suggest important new insights regarding the mechanisms, function and relevance of this phenomenon. In the first part, we present recent results derived from animal experiments and mathematical simulations that provide novel explanations and mechanisms for zero and nero-zero phase lag synchronization. In the second part, we shall discuss the role of neural synchrony for expectancy during perceptual organization and its role in conscious experience. This will be followed by evidence that indicates that in addition to supporting conscious cognition, neural synchrony is abnormal in major brain disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders. We conclude this paper with suggestions for further research as well as with critical issues that need to be addressed in future studies.
Highlights
NEURAL SYNCHRONY IN CORTICAL NETWORKS The cerebral cortex is a highly distributed system in which numerous areas operate in parallel, exchange their results via reciprocal reentrant connections and through self-organizing dynamics create coherent states that are equivalent with representations of sensory objects, decisions and programs for motor acts
BUILDING EXPECTATIONS: NEW VISTAS FOR GAMMA OSCILLATIONS As argued above, a critical step in understanding perceptual organization is to find out how the brain builds stable relationships among sensory inputs
Beyond a purely sensory-driven approach to perception, this view focuses on top–down mechanisms which are related to large-scale dynamics at multiple scales
Summary
We present an update of the status of this hypothesis through summarizing recent results from our laboratory that suggest important new insights regarding the mechanisms, function and relevance of this phenomenon. We present recent results derived from animal experiments and mathematical simulations that provide novel explanations and mechanisms for zero and nero-zero phase lag synchronization. We shall discuss the role of neural synchrony for expectancy during perceptual organization and its role in conscious experience. This will be followed by evidence that indicates that in addition to supporting conscious cognition, neural synchrony is abnormal in major brain disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders. We conclude this paper with suggestions for further research as well as with critical issues that need to be addressed in future studies
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