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Neural dynamics of in vitro cortical networks reflects experienced temporal patterns

Abstract

Learning ultimately relies on changes in the flow of activity in neural microcircuits. The plasticity of neural dynamics is particularly relevant for the processing of temporal information. Chronic stimulation of cultured rat cortical networks revealed experience-dependent plasticity in neural dynamics. We observed changes in the temporal structure of activity that reflected the intervals used during training, suggesting that cortical circuits are inherently capable of temporal processing on short timescales.

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Figure 1: Network dynamics is differentially modified by training.
Figure 2: Differential effects of training interval on neural dynamics.

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Acknowledgements

We thank T. Carvalho, J. Feldman, T. O'Dell and F. Schweizer for helpful discussion and comments on this manuscript. We thank K. Gurley, J. Lee and T. Lee for technical assistance. This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (MH60163).

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Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

H.A.J. and A.G. conducted all of the experiments. All authors participated in the data and statistical analyses. H.A.J. and D.V.B. conceived and designed the experiments and were responsible for preparing the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Dean V Buonomano.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Supplementary Figures 1–3 and Supplementary Methods (PDF 216 kb)

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Johnson, H., Goel, A. & Buonomano, D. Neural dynamics of in vitro cortical networks reflects experienced temporal patterns. Nat Neurosci 13, 917–919 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2579

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