Cortical neural computation by discrete results hypothesis
Entity
UAM. Departamento de Anatomía, Histología y NeurocienciaPublisher
Frontiers MediaDate
2016-10-19Citation
10.3389/fncir.2016.00081
Frontiers in Neural Circuits 10 (2016): 81
ISSN
1662-5110DOI
10.3389/fncir.2016.00081Funded by
Work was supported by a grant from Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (BFU2012-36107)Project
Gobierno de España. BFU2012-36107Editor's Version
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fncir.2016.00081Subjects
Brain oscillations; Cell ensembles; Cerebral cortex; Discrete computation; Fast-spiking cells; Neural synchronization; Processing resolution; Sensory processing; MedicinaRights
© 2016 Castejón and NúñezAbstract
One of the most challenging problems we face in neuroscience is to understand how the cortex performs computations. There is increasing evidence that the power of the cortical processing is produced by populations of neurons forming dynamic neuronal ensembles. Theoretical proposals and multineuronal experimental studies have revealed that ensembles of neurons can form emergent functional units. However, how these ensembles are implicated in cortical computations is still a mystery. Although cell ensembles have been associated with brain rhythms, the functional interaction remains largely unclear. It is still unknown how spatially distributed neuronal activity can be temporally integrated to contribute to cortical computations. A theoretical explanation integrating spatial and temporal aspects of cortical processing is still lacking. In this Hypothesis and Theory article, we propose a new functional theoretical framework to explain the computational roles of these ensembles in cortical processing. We suggest that complex neural computations underlying cortical processing could be temporally discrete and that sensory information would need to be quantized to be computed by the cerebral cortex. Accordingly, we propose that cortical processing is produced by the computation of discrete spatio-temporal functional units that we have called “Discrete Results” (Discrete Results Hypothesis). This hypothesis represents a novel functional mechanism by which information processing is computed in the cortex. Furthermore, we propose that precise dynamic sequences of “Discrete Results” is the mechanism used by the cortex to extract, code, memorize and transmit neural information. The novel “Discrete Results” concept has the ability to match the spatial and temporal aspects of cortical processing. We discuss the possible neural underpinnings of these functional computational units and describe the empirical evidence supporting our hypothesis. We propose that fast-spiking (FS) interneuron may be a key element in our hypothesis providing the basis for this computation.
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Google Scholar:Castejón, Carlos
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Núñez Molina, Ángel
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