Cortical up and activated states: implications for sensory information processing.
The neocortex generates spontaneous slow oscillations that consist of up and down states during quiescence. Up states are short epochs of persistent activity that resemble the state of cortical activation during arousal and cognition. The excitability of cortical cells and synaptic networks is impacted by up states. This review describes the characteristics and putative functional role of up states and their similarity with activated states.
Castro-Alamancos
Manuel A
MA
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19129, USA. mcastro@drexelmed.edu