Silences, Spikes and Bursts: Three-Part Knot of the Neural Code
Schedule
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
05:00 UTC
Richard Naud
University of Ottawa
Host: van Vreeswijk TNS
Recording
Open recording
Event Information
Recording
Available
Host
van Vreeswijk TNS
Duration
70 minutes
Abstract
When a neuron breaks silence, it can emit action potentials in a number of patterns. Some responses are so sudden and intense that electrophysiologists felt the need to single them out, labeling action potentials emitted at a particularly high frequency with a metonym – bursts. Is there more to bursts than a figure of speech? After all, sudden bouts of high-frequency firing are expected to occur whenever inputs surge. In this talk, I will discuss the implications of seeing the neural code as having three syllables: silences, spikes and bursts. In particular, I will describe recent theoretical and experimental results that implicate bursting in the implementation of top-down attention and the coordination of learning.
Topics
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