Neural traveling waves shape dynamics and computation across maps of sensory space

As part of the ongoing Student/Postdoc-Run Speaker Series (SPRSS), and on behalf of the Rhythms of the Mind - From Theory to Bench and Bedside Group, Prof. Lyle Muller will give a talk titled "Neural traveling waves shape dynamics and computation across maps of sensory space."

Abstract:

New, large-scale recording technologies now allow recording from single regions in cortex with high spatial and temporal resolution. Early recordings during anesthesia observed waves traveling across single cortical regions. While these neural traveling waves (nTWs) were initially thought to disappear in awake animals, our work has revealed nTWs during awake states, despite the increased complexity of neural activity in these conditions. However, whether nTWs play active functional roles in sensory perception has remained unclear.

We have introduced new computational methods for detecting and quantifying nTWs traveling over single regions of cortex. These methods have revealed that sensory stimuli can ignite nTWs that travel outward from a small input (Muller et al., Nat Comms, 2014). This is a complex, spatiotemporally structured pattern of activation, analogous to “the wave” in a stadium, but with specific properties unique to the dynamics of cortex. By analyzing these nTWs during a carefully controlled visual detection task, we were able to show that these cortex-specific circuit dynamics enable nTWs to dynamically modulate both neural excitability and the sensitivity of visual perception (Davis*, Muller*, et al., Nature, 2020).

This work indicates that spontaneous and stimulus-evoked nTWs can play active roles in sensory processing. Building on these findings, in the last part of the talk, I will present recent work from my lab to understand the potential role nTWs play in organizing neural computation over topographic maps of sensory space in single regions of cortex.

For information on other talks organized by the 'Rhythms of the Mind - From Theory to Bench and Bedside' Student/Postdoc-Run Group, view the program overview here.