title: Information capacity and transmission are maximized in balanced cortical networks with neuronal avalanches.
abstract: The repertoire of neural activity patterns that a cortical network can produce constrains the ability of the network to transfer and process information. Here, we measured activity patterns obtained from multisite local field potential recordings in cortex cultures, urethane-anesthetized rats, and awake macaque monkeys. First, we quantified the information capacity of the pattern repertoire of ongoing and stimulus-evoked activity using Shannon entropy. Next, we quantified the efficacy of information transmission between stimulus and response using mutual information. By systematically changing the ratio of excitation/inhibition (E/I) in vitro and in a network model, we discovered that both information capacity and information transmission are maximized at a particular intermediate E/I, at which ongoing activity emerges as neuronal avalanches. Next, we used our in vitro and model results to correctly predict in vivo information capacity and interactions between neuronal groups during ongoing activity. Close agreement between our experiments and model suggest that neuronal avalanches and peak information capacity arise because of criticality and are general properties of cortical networks with balanced E/I.
authors.affiliation: Section on Critical Brain Dynamics, Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, National Institutes of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. sheww@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Woodrow L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Shew
authors.forename: Hongdian
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Rajarshi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Plenz
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D019277:Entropy; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008297:Male; D008839:Microelectrodes; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D010852:Picrotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D011810:Quinoxalines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*; D014633:Valine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D010852:Picrotoxin; D011810:Quinoxalines; D014633:Valine; C056723:FG 9041; C056639:2-amino-5-phosphopentanoic acid