Synchrony-Induced Attractor Transition in Cortical Neural Networks Organized by Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that synchronous neural activity in the cortex area occurs related to behavior or recognition of animals, which suggests that such neural activity involves in information processing. Functions enabled by synchronous firing, however, are still unknown. Results reporting that a transition between recall states of associative memory is induced by external synchronous spikes in a neural network formed by spike-timing dependent plasticity indicate the possibility of a function of synchronous neural activity as a transition signal, requiring further examination using detailed cortical neuron models (AokiAoyagi). We introduced a mathematical model of pyramidal and fast-spiking cortical neurons based on Hodgkin-Huxley, and confirmed the transition between recall states through synchronous spike inputs in detailed neuron models.