Neural dynamics in cortical networks--precision of joint-spiking events

Electrophysiological studies of cortical function on the basis of multiple single-neuron recordings reveal neuronal interactions which depend on stimulus context and behavioural events. These interactions exhibit dynamics on different time scales, with time constants down to the millisecond range. Mechanisms underlying such dynamic organization of the cortical network were investigated by experimental and theoretical approaches. We review some recent results from these studies, concentrating on the occurrence of precise joint-spiking events in cortical activity, both in physiological and in model neural networks. These findings suggest that a combinatorial neural code, based on rapid associations of groups of neurons co-ordinating their activity at the single spike level, is biologically feasible.