Skip to main content
Log in

Temporal patterns analysis of spontaneous unit activity in the neocortex

  • Published:
Biological Cybernetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

An analysis has been made of the spontaneous firing of neurons from the posterior motor cortex of the rabbit. Extracellular recordings were made by means of glass capillary micro-electrodes. The recorded neural activity was processed with a general purpose computer and an adapted data processing system. The impulse interval series were analysed by means of a statistical time series analysis. In the first part of the paper, the first order properties of the neutral activity are examined. Using a mathematical model for data reduction, an overall picture of the first order properties of the activity of the set of recorded neurons are obtained. In the second part of the paper, the second order properties of this activity are examined. Using another simple mathematical model completing the first one, the principal aspect of the second order properties are summarized.

Résumé

Nous avons analysé l'activité unitaire spontanée des cellules nerveuses du cortex moteur postérieur du lapin. Les enregistrements extra-cellulaires sont effectués à l'aide de micropipettes de verre. Les trains d'impulsions sont traités avec un ordinateur universel et un système de traitement de données adapté. Les séries d'intervalles sont analysées en utilisant l'analyse statistique des séries temporelles d'évènements. Dans une première partie nous étudions les propriétés du premier ordre de l'activité des neurones. En utilisant un modèle mathématique pour réduire les données, nous obtenons un aperçu général des propriétés de l'activité de l'ensemble des neurones enregistrés. Dans une seconde partie, nous avons étudié les propriétés du second ordre de cette activité. En utilisant un autre model mathématique simple qui complète le premier, nous avons résumé l'aspect principal des propriétés de second ordre.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ben-Ari, Y., Legal La Salle, G.: Unit spontaneous activity in the amygdala: relation between the long term stability of the discharge and the EEG. Brain Res.32, 479–483 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Benoit, O., Chataignier, C.: Patterns spontaneous unitary discharge in thalamic ventro basal complex during wakefulness and sleep. Exp. Brain Res.17, 348–363 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, P.O., Levick, W.A., Williams, W.O.: Statistical analysis of the dark discharge of the lateral geniculate neurones. J. Physiol. (Land.)170, 598–612 (1964)

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, A.G., Franz, D.N.: Patterns of response in spino-cervical tract neurones to different stimuli of long duration. Brain Res.17, 156–160 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Calvet, J., Calvet, M.C.: Etude quantitative et organisation en fonction de la vigilance de l'activité unitaire des diverses régions du cortex cérébral. Brain Res.10, 183–199 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Calvin, W.H., Sypert, G.W., Ward, A.A.: Structured timing patterns within bursts from epileptic neurons in undrugged monkey cortex. Exp. Neurol.4, 535–549 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Chu, N.S., Bloom, F.E.: Norepinephrine containing neurons: changes in spontaneous discharge patterns during sleeping and waking. Science179, 908–910 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Colonnier, M.L.: The structural design of the neocortex. Brain and conscious experience. (Eccles,J.C.Ed.) Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer 1966

    Google Scholar 

  • Cox, D.R., Lewis, P.A.W.: L'analyse statistique des séries dévènements. Paris: Dunod (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dichter, M., Herman, C., Selzer, M.: Penicillin epilepsy in isolated islands of hippocampus. Electroenceph. clin. Neurophysiol.34, 631–638 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dormont, J.F.: Patterns of spontaneous unit activity in the ventro-lateral thalamic nucleus of cats. Brain Res.37, 223–239 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekholm, A., Hyvarinen, J.: A pseudo-markov model for series of neuronal spike events. Biophys. J.10, 773–796 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekholm, A.: A pseudo-markov model for stationary series of events. Comm. phys. math.41, 73–121 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Eysel, U. T., Gaedt, C.: Maintained activity in the lateral geniculate body of the cat and the effects of visual deprivation. Pflügers Arch. ges. Physiol.327, 68–81 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Farley, B.G.: A neural network model and the slow potentials of electro-physiology. Computers in biomedical research VI New York: Academic Press (1965)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerstein, G. L., Mandelbrot, B.: Random walk models for the spike activity of a single neuron. Biophys. J.4, 41–68 (1964)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobson, J.A., McCarley, R.W.: Cortical unit activity in sleep and waking. Electroenceph. clin. Neurophysiol.30, 97–112 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyvärinen, J.: Analysis of spontaneous spike potential activity in developing rabbit diencephalon. Acta physiol. scand.68 Suppl. 278, (1966)

  • Hyvärinen, J.: Distances between brain cells compared with differences in their spontaneous activity patterns. Brain Res8, 193–196 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Johannesma, P.I.M.: Diffusion models for the stochastic activity of neurons. Neural networks. 116–144 (Ed. E.R. Caianiello) Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer 1968

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, C.L.: Some factors determining single cells discharges in cerebral cortex, Comparative and cellular patho-physiology of epitlepsy. Excerpta med. (Amst.) Sect.1 (1966)

  • Monnier, M., Gangloff, H.: Atlas for stereotaxic brain research. Rabbit brain research. Vol. I. New York: Elservier, 1961

    Google Scholar 

  • Nakahama, H., Ishii, N., Yamamoto, M., Saito, H.: Stochastic properties of spontaneous impulse activity in central single neurons. Tohoku J. exp. Med.104, 373–409 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Noda, H., Adey, W.R.: Changes in neuronal activity in association cortex of the cat in relation to sleep and wakefulness. Brain Res.19, 263–275 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pernier, J., Gerin, P.: Traitement sur calculateur, de l'activité neuronale unitaire: réalisations pratiques. Biomed. Comput.1, 307–327 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pernier, J.: Réalisation d'un discriminateur de potential d'action. Biol. med. Eng.9, 359–363 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pernier, J., Gerin, P.: Méthode d'objectivation d'organisations temporelles privilégiées d'activités neuronales unitaires. Bull. Math. Biophys.3, 129–151 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pernier, J.: Organisation temporelle de l'activité neuronale spontanée du cortex cérébral. Approche statistique sur petit ordinateur. Essai d'interprétation. Thèse de Sciences Physiques. Université de Lyon (1972)

  • Pernier, J.: Ajustement automatique des densités de probabilité d'intervalles entre potentiels d'action selon la loi de Wiener. Biometrics28, 737–745 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pernier, J., Echallier, J.F.: Identification automatique des paramètres d'une loi théorique sur petit ordinateur. Application aux lois de distributions de probabilités d'intervalles entre potentiels d'action. Biomed. Comput.4, 241–250 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodieck, R.W.: Maintained activity of cat retinal ganglion cells. J. Neurophysiol.5, 1043–1071 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodieck, R.N., Kiang, N.Y.S., Gerstein, G.L.: Some quantitative methods for the study of spontaneous activity of single neurons. Biophys. J.2, 351–368 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Segundo, J.P., Perkel, D.H., Wyhan, H., Hegstad, H., Moore, G.P.: Input output relation in computer simulated nerve cells. Kybernetik5, 157–171 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, D.R., Smith, G.K.: A statistical analysis of the continual activity of single cortical neurones in the cat unaesthetized isolated forbrain. Biophys. J.5, 47–74 (1965)

    Google Scholar 

  • Stein, R.B.: A theoretical analysis of neuronal variability. Biophys. J.5, 173–194 (1965)

    Google Scholar 

  • Szentagothai, J.: Architecture of the cerebral cortex. In: Basic mechanisms of the epilepsies pp. 13–28. London: J. A. Churchill 1969

    Google Scholar 

  • Walsh, B.T., Miller, J.B., Gacek, R.R., Kiang, N.Y.S.: Spontaneous activity in the eighth cranial nerve of the cat. Int. J. Neurosci.3, (1972)

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pernier, J., Gerin, P. Temporal patterns analysis of spontaneous unit activity in the neocortex. Biol. Cybernetics 18, 123–136 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00326684

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00326684

Keywords

Navigation