title: High noise correlation between the functionally connected neurons in emergent V1 microcircuits.
abstract: Neural correlations (noise correlations and cross-correlograms) are widely studied to infer functional connectivity between neurons. High noise correlations between neurons have been reported to increase the encoding accuracy of a neuronal population; however, low noise correlations have also been documented to play a critical role in cortical microcircuits. Therefore, the role of noise correlations in neural encoding is highly debated. To this aim, through multi-electrodes, we recorded neuronal ensembles in the primary visual cortex of anaesthetized cats. By computing cross-correlograms, we divulged the functional network (microcircuit) between neurons within an ensemble in relation to a specific orientation. We show that functionally connected neurons systematically exhibit higher noise correlations than functionally unconnected neurons in a microcircuit that is activated in response to a particular orientation. Furthermore, the mean strength of noise correlations for the connected neurons increases steeply than the unconnected neurons as a function of the resolution window used to calculate noise correlations. We suggest that neurons that display high noise correlations in emergent microcircuits feature functional connections which are inevitable for information encoding in the primary visual cortex.
authors.affiliation: Neurophysiology of Visual System, Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Succ. centre-ville, CP 6128, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.|Neurosciences Computationnelles et Traitement Intelligent des Signaux (NECOTIS), Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Vishal
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bharmauria
authors.affiliation: Neurophysiology of Visual System, Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Succ. centre-ville, CP 6128, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.|Neurosciences Computationnelles et Traitement Intelligent des Signaux (NECOTIS), Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Lyes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bachatene
authors.affiliation: Neurophysiology of Visual System, Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Succ. centre-ville, CP 6128, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.|Neurosciences Computationnelles et Traitement Intelligent des Signaux (NECOTIS), Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cattan
authors.affiliation: Neurophysiology of Visual System, Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Succ. centre-ville, CP 6128, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.|Neurosciences Computationnelles et Traitement Intelligent des Signaux (NECOTIS), Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Nayan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chanauria
authors.affiliation: Neurophysiology of Visual System, Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Succ. centre-ville, CP 6128, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.|Neurosciences Computationnelles et Traitement Intelligent des Signaux (NECOTIS), Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.|Département de Génie Électrique et Génie Informatique, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rouat
authors.affiliation: Neurophysiology of Visual System, Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Succ. centre-ville, CP 6128, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada. stephane.molotchnikoff@umontreal.ca.|Neurosciences Computationnelles et Traitement Intelligent des Signaux (NECOTIS), Sherbrooke, QC, Canada. stephane.molotchnikoff@umontreal.ca.|Département de Génie Électrique et Génie Informatique, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada. stephane.molotchnikoff@umontreal.ca.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Molotchnikoff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D004560:Electricity; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Cell-assembly; Cross-correlation (CCG); Functional connection; Noise correlation (Rsc)