Spike coding in pyramidal cells of the piriform cortex of rat

The study of cortical oscillations has undergone a renaissance in recent years because of their presumed role in cognitive function. Of particular interest are frequencies in the gamma (30-100 Hz) and theta (3-12 Hz) ranges. In this paper, we use spike coding techniques and in vitro whole cell recording to assess the ability of individual pyramidal cells of the piriform cortex to code inputs occurring in these frequencies. The results suggest that the spike trains of individual neurons are much better at representing frequencies in the theta range than those in the gamma range.