Neural timing in highly convergent systems

In order to study how the convergence of many variable-response neurons on a single target can sharpen timing information, we investigate the limit as the number of input neurons and the number of incoming spikes required to fire the target both get large with the ratio fixed. We prove that the standard deviation of the firing time of the target cell goes to zero in this limit, and we derive the asymptotic forms of the density and the standard deviation near the limit. We use the theorems to understand the behavior of octopus cells in the mammalian cochlear nucleus. © 2007 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

Duke Scholars

Author Michael C. Reed Mathematics