[Interneuronal relations in elementary neuronal assemblies]

Mechanisms of integrating cortical neurons into discrete modules--elementary ensembles--as functional units involved in formation of mosaic activity, in which input information is coded, were studied. Neurons primarily activated by specific afferent terminals and consistently responding with minimal latencies form the center of the ensemble while its periphery consists of secondary activated cells with variable long-latency reaction. Probabilistic participation of the latter in the ensemble structure underlies the cortical mechanism of plasticity. Neurons inhibited intracortically and, probably, by ascending inhibitory ways are situated in the periphery and at output ensemble elements.