Response properties of a population of neurons

This work is concerned with the question of how a population of neurons responds to tonic and transient synaptic input from other similar populations. Because of the methodological problems involved in measuring and manipulating the firing properties of a large set of real neurons simultaneously, another strategy is used here: the experiments are made as a series of simulations using a population of realistic model neurons. The steady state response of this particular model neuron is found to be similar to that used in abstract nonspiking models. The transient response, however, reveals that even though each individual neuron simply changes its frequency moderately, the population can respond quickly and with damped oscillations. These oscillations are due to spike synchronization caused by systematic phase shifts induced by synchronous changes in the input.