title: Measuring direction in the coupling of biological oscillators: a case study for electroreceptors of paddlefish.
abstract: Recently developed methods for estimating directionality in the coupling between oscillators were tested on experimental time series data from electroreceptors of paddlefish, because each electroreceptor contains two distinct types of noisy oscillators. One type of oscillator is in the sensory epithelia, and another type is in the terminals of afferent neurons. Based on morphological organization and our previous work, we expected unidirectional coupling, whereby epithelial oscillations synaptically influence the spiking oscillators of afferent neurons. Using directionality analysis we confirmed unidirectional coupling of oscillators embedded in electroreceptors. We studied the performance of directionality algorithms for decreasing length of data. Also, we experimentally varied the strength of oscillator coupling, to test the effect of coupling strength on directionality algorithms.
authors.affiliation: Center for Neurodynamics, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63121, USA.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brea
authors.forename: David F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Alexander B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Neiman
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004555:Electric Fish / Q000502:physiology*; D004557:Electric Organ / Q000502:physiology*; D005246:Feedback / Q000502:physiology; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D013269:Stochastic Processes; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology