Stochastic resonance can enhance information transmission of supra-threshold neural signals.
Stochastic resonance (SR) has been shown to improve detection of sub-threshold signals with additive uncor-related background noise, not only in a single hippocampal CA1 neuron model, but in a population of hippocampal CA1 neuron models (Array-Enhanced Stochastic Resonance; AESR). However, most of the information in the CNS is transmitted through supra-threshold signals and the effect of stochastic resonance in neurons on these signals is unknown. Therefore, we investigate through computer simulations whether information transmission of supra-threshold input signal can be improved by uncorrelated noise in a population of hippocampal CA1 neuron models by supra-threshold stochastic resonance (SSR). The mutual information was estimated as an index of information transmission via total and noise entropies from the inter-spike interval (ISI) histograms of the spike trains generated by gathering each of spike trains in a population of hippocampal CA1 neuron models at N = 1, 2, 4, 10, 20 and 50. It was shown that the mutual information was maximized at a specific amplitude of uncorrelated noise, i.e., a typical curve of SR was observed when the number of neurons was greater than 10 with SSR. However, SSR did not affect the information transfer with a small number of neurons. In conclusion, SSR may play an important role in processing information such as memory formation in a population of hippocampal neurons.
Kawaguchi
Minato
M
Graduate School of Human Sciences, Wa-seda University, 2-579-15 Mikajima, Tokorozawa 359-1192, Japan. kawaguchi@fuji.waseda.jp
Mino
Hiroyuki
H
Momose
Keiko
K
Durand
Dominique M
DM
D000818:Animals; D004560:Electricity; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013269:Stochastic Processes