2006/07/13 by Elad Schneidman, Schneidman, Elad, Jason Puchalla +9 · 1 citation
Computer Science · Engineering · Neuroscience · #Advanced Memory and Neural Computing #Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph) #FOS: Biological sciences #FOS: Physical sciences #Molecular Networks (q-bio.MN) #Neural Networks and Applications #Neural dynamics and brain function #Neurons and Cognition (q-bio.NC)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.q-bio/0607017
openalex publication_date 2006/07/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The manner in which groups of neurons represent events in the external world is fundamental to neuroscience. Here, we analyze the population code of the retina during naturalistic stimulation and show that the information conveyed by specific multi-neuronal firing patterns can be very different from the sum of the pattern's parts. Synchronous spikes convey more information than either of the participating cells, but almost always less than their sum, making them redundant coding symbols. Surprisingly, patterns of spiking and silence are mostly synergistic - carrying information that is accessible only by observing the whole pattern of activity, rather than its components, and signifying unique features in the stimulus. These results demonstrate that the retina uses a combinatorial code and that the brain can benefit significantly from recognizing multi-neuronal firing patterns.