Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 12, 2026
08:08
Real-time Electrophysiology: Using Closed-loop Protocols to Probe Neuronal Dynamics and Beyond
Published on: June 24, 2015
12.0K
Subthreshold moment analysis of neuronal populations driven by synchronous synaptic inputs
Logan A Becker1,2, Francois Baccelli3,4,5, Thibaud Taillefumier1,2,3
1Center for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America.
Plos Computational Biology
|October 31, 2025
Summary
Neuronal activity shows significant variability. Weak synchrony in neural spiking explains voltage fluctuations and correlations, highlighting its role in cortical function.
Area of Science:
- Computational Neuroscience
- Systems Neuroscience
Background:
- Neuronal responses exhibit substantial spiking variability even with identical stimuli.
- Subthreshold membrane voltage fluctuations also display significant variability in vivo.
- Prior work linked these voltage fluctuations to weak, non-zero spiking synchrony.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if spiking synchrony can explain other statistical features of neural activity, specifically voltage covariability and skewness.
- To analyze the relationship between spiking synchrony and membrane voltage statistics in biophysically relevant neuronal models.
Main Methods:
- Generalized moment analysis of conductance-based neurons.
- Input drives modeled as correlated jump processes.
- Application of fixed-point techniques from queuing theory for stationary activity analysis.
Main Results:
- Weak but non-zero synchrony in spiking activity consistently explains experimentally reported voltage covariance.
- The same synchrony levels also account for observed voltage skewness.
- These findings align with experimentally measured spiking correlations.
Conclusions:
- Spiking synchrony is a primary driver of cortical variability.
- Physiological neural activity, particularly in the spontaneous regime, emerges as a population-level phenomenon.
- The study validates the role of synchrony in shaping both spiking and subthreshold neural dynamics.
More Related Videos
10:19Induction of an Isoelectric Brain State to Investigate the Impact of Endogenous Synaptic Activity on Neuronal Excitability In Vivo
Published on: March 31, 2016
8.5K
09:47Interfacing 3D Engineered Neuronal Cultures to Micro-Electrode Arrays: An Innovative In Vitro Experimental Model
Published on: October 18, 2015
10.4K
Related Concept Videos
01:28Integration of Synaptic Events
3.4K
Synaptic integration mainly includes the summation of graded potentials. Graded potentials, regardless of their type, cause subtle alterations in membrane voltage, resulting in either depolarization or hyperpolarization. These incremental changes, when combined or summed, can propel the neuron toward its threshold. Consider, for example, a membrane experiencing a +15 mV shift, causing it to depolarize from -70 mV to -55 mV. In this scenario, graded potentials govern the membrane's ability to...
3.4K
01:19Graded Potential
6.8K
Graded potentials are localized fluctuations in the cell membrane's electrical charge, commonly found in the dendrites of neurons. The magnitude of these potential changes depends on the strength of the initiating stimulus. In a membrane at its resting potential, a graded potential signifies a voltage shift either above -70 mV or below -70 mV.
Graded potentials fall into two categories: depolarizing and hyperpolarizing. Depolarizing graded potentials typically occur when sodium (Na+) or...
Graded potentials fall into two categories: depolarizing and hyperpolarizing. Depolarizing graded potentials typically occur when sodium (Na+) or...
6.8K
01:19The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation
3.6K
A postsynaptic neuron usually receives numerous impulses from several other presynaptic neurons. The axon hillock of the postsynaptic neuron integrates all these signals and determines the likelihood of firing an action potential.
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential....
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential....
3.6K
01:28Neuronal Communication
3.0K
Neurons, the fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, communicate through complex electrochemical signals that underpin all cognitive and bodily functions. This communication is primarily facilitated by a process involving the generation and propagation of an action potential along the axon of the neuron. When the internal electrical charge of a neuron surpasses a certain threshold, an action potential is triggered. This rapid change in voltage travels swiftly along the axon to the...
3.0K
01:32Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)
4.8K
Postsynaptic potential (PSP) refers to a change in the electrical potential of a neuron when neurotransmitters released by presynaptic neurons bind to postsynaptic receptors. This potential can either be excitatory, leading to depolarization and ultimately action potential generation, or inhibitory, leading to hyperpolarization and suppression of the postsynaptic neuron.
There are two types of receptors: ionotropic and metabotropic.
The ionotropic receptor is the membrane protein that has an...
There are two types of receptors: ionotropic and metabotropic.
The ionotropic receptor is the membrane protein that has an...
4.8K
02:47The Synapse
132.6K
Neurons communicate with one another by passing on their electrical signals to other neurons. A synapse is the location where two neurons meet to exchange signals. At the synapse, the neuron that sends the signal is called the presynaptic cell, while the neuron that receives the message is called the postsynaptic cell. Note that most neurons can be both presynaptic and postsynaptic, as they both transmit and receive information.
132.6K