scholarly journals Space coding by gamma oscillations in the barn owl optic tectum

2011 ◽  
Vol 105 (5) ◽  
pp. 2005-2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devarajan Sridharan ◽  
Kwabena Boahen ◽  
Eric I. Knudsen
Keyword(s):  
Optic Tectum ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Stimulus Location ◽  
Gamma Band ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Visual Contrast ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Gamma Power ◽  
Deep Layers

Gamma-band (25–140 Hz) oscillations of the local field potential (LFP) are evoked by sensory stimuli in the mammalian forebrain and may be strongly modulated in amplitude when animals attend to these stimuli. The optic tectum (OT) is a midbrain structure known to contribute to multimodal sensory processing, gaze control, and attention. We found that presentation of spatially localized stimuli, either visual or auditory, evoked robust gamma oscillations with distinctive properties in the superficial (visual) layers and in the deep (multimodal) layers of the owl's OT. Across layers, gamma power was tuned sharply for stimulus location and represented space topographically. In the superficial layers, induced LFP power peaked strongly in the low-gamma band (25–90 Hz) and increased gradually with visual contrast across a wide range of contrasts. Spikes recorded in these layers included presumptive axonal (input) spikes that encoded stimulus properties nearly identically with gamma oscillations and were tightly phase locked with the oscillations, suggesting that they contribute to the LFP oscillations. In the deep layers, induced LFP power was distributed across the low and high (90–140 Hz) gamma-bands and tended to reach its maximum value at relatively low visual contrasts. In these layers, gamma power was more sharply tuned for stimulus location, on average, than were somatic spike rates, and somatic spikes synchronized with gamma oscillations. Such gamma synchronized discharges of deep-layer neurons could provide a high-resolution temporal code for signaling the location of salient sensory stimuli.

scholarly journals Frontal eye field microstimulation induces task-dependent gamma oscillations in the lateral intraparietal area

2012 ◽  
Vol 108 (5) ◽  
pp. 1392-1402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsie Premereur ◽  
Wim Vanduffel ◽  
Pieter R. Roelfsema ◽  
Peter Janssen
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Oculomotor Control ◽  
Saccade Target ◽  
Frontal Eye Field ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Lateral Intraparietal Area ◽  
Electrical Microstimulation ◽  
Gamma Power

Macaque frontal eye fields (FEF) and the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) are high-level oculomotor control centers that have been implicated in the allocation of spatial attention. Electrical microstimulation of macaque FEF elicits functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activations in area LIP, but no study has yet investigated the effect of FEF microstimulation on LIP at the single-cell or local field potential (LFP) level. We recorded spiking and LFP activity in area LIP during weak, subthreshold microstimulation of the FEF in a delayed-saccade task. FEF microstimulation caused a highly time- and frequency-specific, task-dependent increase in gamma power in retinotopically corresponding sites in LIP: FEF microstimulation produced a significant increase in LIP gamma power when a saccade target appeared and remained present in the LIP receptive field (RF), whereas less specific increases in alpha power were evoked by FEF microstimulation for saccades directed away from the RF. Stimulating FEF with weak currents had no effect on LIP spike rates or on the gamma power during memory saccades or passive fixation. These results provide the first evidence for task-dependent modulations of LFPs in LIP caused by top-down stimulation of FEF. Since the allocation and disengagement of spatial attention in visual cortex have been associated with increases in gamma and alpha power, respectively, the effects of FEF microstimulation on LIP are consistent with the known effects of spatial attention.

scholarly journals Robust Rhythmogenesis in the Gamma Band via Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabi Socolovsky ◽  
Maoz Shamir
Keyword(s):  
Mean Field ◽  
Rhythmic Activity ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Spike Timing ◽  
Gamma Band ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity ◽  
Dependent Plasticity ◽  
Wide Range

Rhythmic activity in the gamma band (30-100Hz) has been observed in numerous animal species ranging from insects to humans, and in relation to a wide range of cognitive tasks. Various experimental and theoretical studies have investigated this rhythmic activity. The theoretical efforts have mainly been focused on the neuronal dynamics, under the assumption that network connectivity satisfies certain fine-tuning conditions required to generate gamma oscillations. However, it remains unclear how this fine tuning is achieved.Here we investigated the hypothesis that spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP) can provide the underlying mechanism for tuning synaptic connectivity to generate rhythmic activity in the gamma band. We addressed this question in a modeling study. We examined STDP dynamics in the framework of a network of excitatory and inhibitory neuronal populations that has been suggested to underlie the generation of gamma. Mean field Fokker Planck equations for the synaptic weights dynamics are derived in the limit of slow learning. We drew on this approximation to determine which types of STDP rules drive the system to exhibit gamma oscillations, and demonstrate how the parameters that characterize the plasticity rule govern the rhythmic activity. Finally, we propose a novel mechanism that can ensure the robustness of self-developing processes, in general and for rhythmogenesis in particular.

scholarly journals Thalamic inputs determine functionally distinct gamma bands in mouse primary visual cortex

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolò Meneghetti ◽  
Chiara Cerri ◽  
Elena Tantillo ◽  
Eleonora Vannini ◽  
Matteo Caleo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Narrow Band ◽  
Broad Band ◽  
Gamma Band ◽  
Neuron Network ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Thalamic Input ◽  
Visual Contrast

AbstractGamma band is known to be involved in the encoding of visual features in the primary visual cortex (V1). Recent results in rodents V1 highlighted the presence, within a broad gamma band (BB) increasing with contrast, of a narrow gamma band (NB) peaking at ∼60 Hz suppressed by contrast and enhanced by luminance. However, the processing of visual information by the two channels still lacks a proper characterization. Here, by combining experimental analysis and modeling, we prove that the two bands are sensitive to specific thalamic inputs associated with complementary contrast ranges. We recorded local field potentials from V1 of awake mice during the presentation of gratings and observed that NB power progressively decreased from low to intermediate levels of contrast. Conversely, BB power was insensitive to low levels of contrast but it progressively increased going from intermediate to high levels of contrast. Moreover, BB response was stronger immediately after contrast reversal, while the opposite held for NB. All the aforementioned dynamics were accurately reproduced by a recurrent excitatory-inhibitory leaky integrate-and-fire network, mimicking layer IV of mouse V1, provided that the sustained and periodic component of the thalamic input were modulated over complementary contrast ranges. These results shed new light on the origin and function of the two V1 gamma bands. In addition, here we propose a simple and effective model of response to visual contrast that might help in reconstructing network dysfunction underlying pathological alterations of visual information processing.Significance StatementGamma band is a ubiquitous hallmark of cortical processing of sensory stimuli. Experimental evidence shows that in the mouse visual cortex two types of gamma activity are differentially modulated by contrast: a narrow band (NB), that seems to be rodent specific, and a standard broad band (BB), observed also in other animal models.We found that narrow band correlates and broad band anticorrelates with visual contrast in two complementary contrast ranges (low and high respectively). Moreover, BB displayed an earlier response than NB. A thalamocortical spiking neuron network model reproduced the aforementioned results, suggesting they might be due to the presence of two complementary but distinct components of the thalamic input into visual cortical circuitry.

scholarly journals Gamma oscillations in the rat ventral striatum originate in the piriform cortex

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Carmichael ◽  
Jimmie M. Gmaz ◽  
Matthijs A. A. van der Meer
Keyword(s):  
Local Field ◽  
Ventral Striatum ◽  
Piriform Cortex ◽  
Current Source ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Gamma Band ◽  
Temporal Organization ◽  
Local Circuitry ◽  
Gamma Band Oscillations

AbstractLocal field potentials (LFP) recorded from the human and rodent ventral striatum (vStr) exhibit prominent, behaviorally relevant gamma-band oscillations. These oscillations are related to local spiking activity and transiently synchronize with anatomically related areas, suggesting a possible role in organizing vStr activity. However, the origin of vStr gamma is unknown. We recorded vStr gamma oscillations across a 1.4mm2 grid spanned by 64 recording electrodes as rats rested and foraged for rewards, revealing a highly consistent power gradient originating in the adjacent piriform cortex. Phase differences across the vStr were consistently small (<10°) and current source density analysis further confirmed the absence of local sink-source pairs in the vStr. Reversible occlusions of the ipsilateral (but not contralateral) nostril, known to abolish gamma oscillations in the piriform cortex, strongly reduced vStr gamma power and the occurrence of transient gamma-band events. These results imply that local circuitry is not a major contributor to gamma oscillations in the vStr LFP, and that piriform cortex is an important driver of gamma-band oscillations in the vStr and associated limbic areas.Significance StatementThe ventral striatum is an area of anatomical convergence in circuits underlying motivated behavior, but it remains unclear how its inputs from different sources interact. One of the major proposals of how neural circuits may dynamically switch between convergent inputs is through temporal organization reflected in local field potential (LFP) oscillations. Our results show that in the rat, the mechanisms controlling vStr gamma oscillations are primarily located in the in the adjacent piriform cortex, rather than vStr itself. This provides a novel interpretation of previous rodent work on gamma oscillations in the vStr and related circuits, and an important consideration for future work seeking to use oscillations in these areas as biomarkers in rodent models of human behavioral and neurological disorders.

scholarly journals Conditioned Excitation And Inhibition of Short Latency Gamma Band Oscillations In Early Visual Cortex During Fear Learning In Humans

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Santos-Mayo ◽  
Javier de Echegaray ◽  
Stephan Moratti
Keyword(s):  
Fear Conditioning ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Gamma Band ◽  
Short Latency ◽  
Fear Learning ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Gamma Power ◽  
Early Visual Cortex ◽  
Sensory Cortices ◽  
Gamma Band Oscillations

Abstract Over the course of evolution the human brain has been shaped to prioritize cues that signal potential danger. Thereby, the brain does not only favor specie-specific prepared stimulus sets such as snakes or spiders, but can learn associations between new cues and aversive outcomes. One important mechanism to achieve this is associated with learning induced plasticity changes in sensory cortex that optimizes the representation of motivationally relevant sensory stimuli. Animal studies have shown that the modulation of gamma band oscillations predicts cholinergic driven plasticity changes in sensory cortices shifting neurons’ responses to fear relevant features as acquired by Pavlovian fear conditioning. Here, we report conditioned excitatory and inhibitory gamma band modulations in humans during fear conditioning of orthogonally oriented sinus gratings representing fear relevant and irrelevant conditioned cues, respectively. Thereby, pairing of a sinus grating with an aversive loud noise not only increased short latency (during the first 180 ms) evoked visual gamma band responses, but was also accompanied by strong gamma power reductions for the fear irrelevant control grating. The current findings will be discussed in the light of recent neurobiological models of cholinergic driven plasticity changes in sensory cortices and classic learning models such as the Rescorla-Wagner framework.

scholarly journals Comparison of tuning properties of gamma and high-gamma power in local field potential (LFP) versus electrocorticogram (ECoG) in visual cortex

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agrita Dubey ◽  
Supratim Ray
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Local Field ◽  
Local Field Potential ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Orientation Contrast ◽  
High Gamma ◽  
Gamma Power ◽  
Electrocorticogram Ecog ◽  
Local Field Potential Lfp

AbstractElectrocorticogram (ECoG), obtained from macroelectrodes placed on the cortex, is typically used in drug-resistant epilepsy patients, and is increasingly being used to study cognition in humans. These studies often use power in gamma (30-70 Hz) or high-gamma (>80 Hz) ranges to make inferences about neural processing. However, while the stimulus tuning properties of gamma/high-gamma power have been well characterized in local field potential (LFP; obtained from microelectrodes), analogous characterization has not been done for ECoG. Using a hybrid array containing both micro and ECoG electrodes implanted in the primary visual cortex of two female macaques, we compared the stimulus tuning preferences of gamma/high-gamma power in LFP versus ECoG and found them to be surprisingly similar. High-gamma power, thought to index the average firing rate around the electrode, was highest for the smallest stimulus (0.3° radius), and decreased with increasing size in both LFP and ECoG, suggesting local origins of both signals. Further, gamma oscillations were similarly tuned in LFP and ECoG to stimulus orientation, contrast and spatial frequency. This tuning was significantly weaker in electroencephalogram (EEG), suggesting that ECoG is more like LFP than EEG. Overall, our results validate the use of ECoG in clinical and basic cognitive research.

scholarly journals GABAB receptor-mediated, layer-specific synaptic plasticity reorganizes gamma-frequency neocortical response to stimulation

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (19) ◽  
pp. E2721-E2729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Ainsworth ◽  
Shane Lee ◽  
Marcus Kaiser ◽  
Jennifer Simonotto ◽  
Nancy J. Kopell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gabab Receptor ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Population Activity ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Gamma Frequency ◽  
Layer 4 ◽  
Complex Relationships ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Repeated presentations of sensory stimuli generate transient gamma-frequency (30–80 Hz) responses in neocortex that show plasticity in a task-dependent manner. Complex relationships between individual neuronal outputs and the mean, local field potential (population activity) accompany these changes, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms responsible. Here we show that transient stimulation of input layer 4 sufficient to generate gamma oscillations induced two different, lamina-specific plastic processes that correlated with lamina-specific changes in responses to further, repeated stimulation: Unit rates and recruitment showed overall enhancement in supragranular layers and suppression in infragranular layers associated with excitatory or inhibitory synaptic potentiation onto principal cells, respectively. Both synaptic processes were critically dependent on activation of GABAB receptors and, together, appeared to temporally segregate the cortical representation. These data suggest that adaptation to repetitive sensory input dramatically alters the spatiotemporal properties of the neocortical response in a manner that may both refine and minimize cortical output simultaneously.

scholarly journals Distinct frequency bands in the local field potential are differently tuned to stimulus drift rate

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 681-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siddhesh Salelkar ◽  
Gowri Manohari Somasekhar ◽  
Supratim Ray
Keyword(s):  
Local Field ◽  
Local Field Potential ◽  
Drift Rate ◽  
Narrow Band ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Frequency Bands ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Distinct Frequency ◽  
Local Field Potential Lfp

Local field potential (LFP) recorded with a microelectrode reflects the activity of several neural processes, including afferent synaptic inputs, microcircuit-level computations, and spiking activity. Objectively probing their contribution requires a design that allows dissociation between these potential contributors. Earlier reports have shown that the primate lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) has a higher temporal frequency (drift rate) cutoff than the primary visual cortex (V1), such that at higher drift rates inputs into V1 from the LGN continue to persist, whereas output ceases, permitting partial dissociation. Using chronic microelectrode arrays, we recorded spikes and LFP from V1 of passively fixating macaques while presenting sinusoidal gratings drifting over a wide range. We further optimized the gratings to produce strong gamma oscillations, since recent studies in rodent V1 have reported LGN-dependent narrow-band gamma oscillations. Consistent with earlier reports, power in higher LFP frequencies (above ~140 Hz) tracked the population firing rate and were tuned to preferred drift rates similar to those for spikes. Significantly, power in the lower (up to ~40 Hz) frequencies increased transiently in the early epoch after stimulus onset, even at high drift rates, and had preferred drift rates higher than for spikes/high gamma. Narrow-band gamma (50–80 Hz) power was not strongly correlated with power in high or low frequencies and had much lower preferred temporal frequencies. Our results demonstrate that distinct frequency bands of the V1 LFP show diverse tuning profiles, which may potentially convey different attributes of the underlying neural activity. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In recent years the local field potential (LFP) has been increasingly studied, but interpreting its rich frequency content has been difficult. We use a stimulus manipulation that generates different tuning profiles for low, gamma, and high frequencies of the LFP, suggesting contributions from potentially different sources. Our results have possible implications for design of better neural prosthesis systems and brain-machine interfacing applications.

Ongoing activity in the optic tectum is correlated on a trial-by-trial basis with the pupil dilation response

2014 ◽  
Vol 111 (5) ◽  
pp. 918-929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shai Netser ◽  
Arkadeb Dutta ◽  
Yoram Gutfreund
Keyword(s):  
Neural Activity ◽  
Optic Tectum ◽  
Internal State ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Orienting Response ◽  
Pupil Dilation ◽  
Ongoing Activity ◽  
Potential Oscillations ◽  
Deep Layers

The selection of the appropriate stimulus to induce an orienting response is a basic task thought to be partly achieved by tectal circuitry. Here we addressed the relationship between neural activity in the optic tectum (OT) and orienting behavioral responses. We recorded multiunit activity in the intermediate/deep layers of the OT of the barn owl simultaneously with pupil dilation responses (PDR, a well-known orienting response common to birds and mammals). A trial-by-trial analysis of the responses revealed that the PDR generally did not correlate with the evoked neural responses but significantly correlated with the rate of ongoing neural activity measured shortly before the stimulus. Following this finding, we characterized ongoing activity in the OT and showed that in the intermediate/deep layers it tended to fluctuate spontaneously. It is characterized by short periods of high ongoing activity during which the probability of a PDR to an auditory stimulus inside the receptive field is increased. These high-ongoing activity periods were correlated with increase in the power of gamma band local field potential oscillations. Through dual recordings, we showed that the correlation coefficients of ongoing activity decreased as a function of distance between recording sites in the tectal map. Significant correlations were also found between recording sites in the OT and the forebrain entopallium. Our results suggest that an increase of ongoing activity in the OT reflects an internal state during which coupling between sensory stimulation and behavioral responses increases.

scholarly journals Piriform cortex provides a dominant gamma LFP oscillation in the anterior limbic system

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Carmichael ◽  
Matthew M. Yuen ◽  
Matthijs A. A. van der Meer
Keyword(s):  
Limbic System ◽  
Piriform Cortex ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Gamma Band ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Cortex Cell

AbstractOscillations in the local field potential (LFP) are widespread throughout the rodent limbic system, including in structures such as the orbitofrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. Synchrony between LFPs across these structures, as seen during specific behavioral events, is often interpreted as evidence of a functional interaction. However, the source of these oscillations is often tacitly assumed to be local, leading to a potential misattribution of function. Using in vivo simultaneous multisite recordings in freely moving male rats (n = 7) we demonstrate that gamma-band LFP oscillations (45-90 Hz) in multiple anterior limbic structures are highly synchronous not only with each other, but also with those in piriform cortex. Phase reversals across the piriform cortex cell layer and susceptibility to nasal occlusion indicate that piriform cortex is the source of these common gamma oscillations. Thus, gamma-band LFP oscillations seen in brain regions adjacent to the piriform cortex are likely not generated locally, but are instead volume conducted from the piriform cortex. This emerging view of gamma oscillations in anterior limbic circuits highlights the importance of the common piriform cortex input as a major influence and introduces caveats in the interpretation of locally recorded LFPs.

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