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Far in Space and Yet in Synchrony: Neuronal Mechanisms for Zero-Lag Long-Range Synchronization

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Coherent Behavior in Neuronal Networks

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Computational Neuroscience ((NEUROSCI,volume 3))

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Abstract

Distant neuronal populations are observed to synchronize their activity patterns at zero-lag during certain stages of cognitive acts. This chapter provides an overview of the problem of large-scale synchrony and some of the solutions that have been proposed for attaining long-range coherence in the nervous system despite long conduction delays. We also review in detail the synchronizing properties of a canonical neuronal microcircuit that naturally enhances the isochronous discharge of remote neuronal resources. The basic idea behind this mechanism is that when two neuronal populations relay their activities onto a third mediating population, the redistribution of the dynamics performed by the latter leads to a self-organized and lag-free synchronization among the pools of neurons being relayed. Exploring the physiological relevance of this mechanism, we discuss the role of associative thalamic nuclei and their bidirectional interaction with the neocortex as a relevant physiological structure in which the network module under study is densely embedded. These results are further supported by the recently proposed role of thalamocortical interactions as a substrate for the trans-areal cortical coordination.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Wolf Singer, Carl van Vreeswijk, Christopher J. Honey, and Nancy Kopell for fruitful discussions. This work was partially supported by the Hertie Foundation, the European Commission Project GABA (FP6-NEST contract 043309), and the Spanish MCyT and Feder under Project FISICO (FIS-2004-00953). R.V. and G.P. are also with the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurophysiology, Max-Planck Institute for Brain Research, Deutschordenstrasse 46, 60528, Frankfurt, Germany

    Raul Vicente

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  1. Raul Vicente
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  2. Leonardo L. Gollo
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  3. Claudio R. Mirasso
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  4. Ingo Fischer
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  5. Gordon Pipa
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Correspondence to Raul Vicente .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Mathematics, University of Houston, Phillip G. Hoffman Hall 651, Houston, 77204-3008, U.S.A.

    Kre¿imir Josic

  2. Dept. Mathematics, University of Pittsburgh, Thackeray Hall 301, Pittsburgh, 15260, U.S.A.

    Jonathan Rubin

  3. Universitat de les Illes Balears, CSIC, Palma de Mallorca, 07122, Spain

    Manuel Matias

  4. Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico, 04510, Mexico

    Ranulfo Romo

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Vicente, R., Gollo, L.L., Mirasso, C.R., Fischer, I., Pipa, G. (2009). Far in Space and Yet in Synchrony: Neuronal Mechanisms for Zero-Lag Long-Range Synchronization. In: Josic, K., Rubin, J., Matias, M., Romo, R. (eds) Coherent Behavior in Neuronal Networks. Springer Series in Computational Neuroscience, vol 3. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0389-1_8

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