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Information-Theoretical Analysis of the Neural Code in the Rodent Temporal Lobe.
Melisa B Maidana Capitán1, Emilio Kropff2, Inés Samengo1
1Departament of Medical Physics, Centro Atómico Bariloche and Instituto Balseiro, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, 8400 San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina.
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 3, 2020
Summary
This study reveals that rodent navigation involves multiple neural codes, including firing rate and firing phase, to encode kinematic information. Neurons often combine these codes and encode complex kinematic features, expanding our understanding of neural strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Information Theory
Background:
- Information-theoretical methods offer a flexible approach to studying the neural code without assumptions about stimulus-response mappings.
- Quantifying information in neural activity is crucial for understanding sensory processing.
- Previous methods focused on specific stimulus or response features.
Purpose of the Study:
- To extend information-theoretical methods for quantifying kinematic information encoding in a navigating rodent.
- To investigate information encoded by neuronal firing rate and firing phase relative to theta and delta filtered local field potentials.
- To explore novel coding strategies beyond traditional classifications of spatially-selective neurons.
Main Methods:
- Applied information-theoretical methods to analyze neural activity in navigating rodents.
- Estimated kinematic information encoded by neuronal firing rate.
- Assessed information encoded by the phase of firing relative to theta-filtered and delta-filtered local field potentials.
Main Results:
- All three investigated codes (firing rate, theta-phase, delta-phase) significantly encoded kinematic information.
- Informative neurons frequently utilized a combination of these coding strategies.
- Neurons often encoded conjunctions of kinematic features, challenging traditional cell-type classifications.
Conclusions:
- A wide range of neural coding strategies are employed for kinematic information representation during navigation.
- Considering diverse stimulus and response features broadens the understanding of the neural code.
- Neuronal populations exhibit complex coding schemes beyond simple feature representations.
