Spatial and temporal scales of neuronal correlation in visual area V4.
Abstract
The spiking activity of nearby cortical neurons is correlated on both short and long
time scales. Understanding this shared variability in firing patterns is critical
for appreciating the representation of sensory stimuli in ensembles of neurons, the
coincident influences of neurons on common targets, and the functional implications
of microcircuitry. Our knowledge about neuronal correlations, however, derives largely
from experiments that used different recording methods, analysis techniques, and cortical
regions. Here we studied the structure of neuronal correlation in area V4 of alert
macaques using recording and analysis procedures designed to match those used previously
in primary visual cortex (V1), the major input to V4. We found that the spatial and
temporal properties of correlations in V4 were remarkably similar to those of V1,
with two notable differences: correlated variability in V4 was approximately one-third
the magnitude of that in V1 and synchrony in V4 was less temporally precise than in
V1. In both areas, spontaneous activity (measured during fixation while viewing a
blank screen) was approximately twice as correlated as visual-evoked activity. The
results provide a foundation for understanding how the structure of neuronal correlation
differs among brain regions and stages in cortical processing and suggest that it
is likely governed by features of neuronal circuits that are shared across the visual
cortex.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Action PotentialsAnimals
Evoked Potentials, Visual
Fixation, Ocular
Interneurons
Macaca mulatta
Male
Photic Stimulation
Reaction Time
Space Perception
Visual Cortex
Visual Pathways
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10295Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4782-12.2013Publication Info
Smith, Matthew A; & Sommer, Marc A (2013). Spatial and temporal scales of neuronal correlation in visual area V4. J Neurosci, 33(12). pp. 5422-5432. 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4782-12.2013. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10295.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
Collections
More Info
Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Marc A. Sommer
W. H. Gardner, Jr. Associate Professor
We study circuits for cognition. Using a combination of neurophysiology and biomedical
engineering, we focus on the interaction between brain areas during visual perception,
decision-making, and motor planning. Specific projects include the role of frontal
cortex in metacognition, the role of cerebellar-frontal circuits in action timing,
the neural basis of "good enough" decision-making (satisficing), and the neural mechanisms
of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Articles written by Duke faculty are made available through the campus open access policy. For more information see: Duke Open Access Policy
Rights for Collection: Scholarly Articles
Works are deposited here by their authors, and represent their research and opinions, not that of Duke University. Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info