RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Information Capacity and Transmission Are Maximized in Balanced Cortical Networks with Neuronal Avalanches
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 55
OP 63
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4637-10.2011
VO 31
IS 1
A1 Shew, Woodrow L.
A1 Yang, Hongdian
A1 Yu, Shan
A1 Roy, Rajarshi
A1 Plenz, Dietmar
YR 2011
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/1/55.abstract
AB The repertoire of neural activity patterns that a cortical network can produce constrains the ability of the network to transfer and process information. Here, we measured activity patterns obtained from multisite local field potential recordings in cortex cultures, urethane-anesthetized rats, and awake macaque monkeys. First, we quantified the information capacity of the pattern repertoire of ongoing and stimulus-evoked activity using Shannon entropy. Next, we quantified the efficacy of information transmission between stimulus and response using mutual information. By systematically changing the ratio of excitation/inhibition (E/I) in vitro and in a network model, we discovered that both information capacity and information transmission are maximized at a particular intermediate E/I, at which ongoing activity emerges as neuronal avalanches. Next, we used our in vitro and model results to correctly predict in vivo information capacity and interactions between neuronal groups during ongoing activity. Close agreement between our experiments and model suggest that neuronal avalanches and peak information capacity arise because of criticality and are general properties of cortical networks with balanced E/I.