Synchronization Across Sensory Cortical Areas by Electrical Microstimulation is Sufficient for Behavioral Discrimination
Author
dc.contributor.author
Manzur, Hachi E.
Author
dc.contributor.author
Álvarez, Joel
es_CL
Author
dc.contributor.author
Babul Ayub, María Cecilia
es_CL
Author
dc.contributor.author
Maldonado Arbogast, Pedro
es_CL
Admission date
dc.date.accessioned
2014-01-13T12:49:31Z
Available date
dc.date.available
2014-01-13T12:49:31Z
Publication date
dc.date.issued
2013
Cita de ítem
dc.identifier.citation
Cerebral Cortex December 2013; 23 : 2976–2986
en_US
Identifier
dc.identifier.other
doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhs288
Identifier
dc.identifier.uri
https://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/129137
General note
dc.description
Artículo de publicación ISI
en_US
Abstract
dc.description.abstract
The temporal correlation hypothesis proposes that cortical neurons
engage in synchronized activity, thus configuring a general mechanism
to account for a range of cognitive processes from perceptual
binding to consciousness. However, most studies supporting this
hypothesis have only provided correlational, but not causal evidence.
Here, we used electrical microstimulation of the visual and
somatosensory cortices of the rat in both hemispheres, to test
whether rats could discriminate synchronous versus asynchronous
patterns of stimulation applied to the same cortical sites. To disambiguate
synchrony from other related parameters, our experiments
independently manipulated the rate and intensity of stimulation, the
spatial locations of stimulation, the exact temporal sequence of
stimulation patterns, and the degree of synchrony across stimulation
sites. We found that rats reliably distinguished between 2
microstimulation patterns, differing in the spatial arrangement of
cortical sites stimulated synchronously. Also, their performance
was proportional to the level of synchrony in the microstimulation
patterns. We demonstrated that rats can recognize artificial current
patterns containing precise synchronization features, thus providing
the first direct evidence that artificial synchronous activity can
guide behavior. Such precise temporal information can be used as
feedback signals in machine interface arrangements.