title: Synaptic scaling rule preserves excitatory-inhibitory balance and salient neuronal network dynamics.
abstract: The balance between excitation and inhibition (E-I balance) is maintained across brain regions though the network size, strength and number of synaptic connections, and connection architecture may vary substantially. We use a culture preparation to examine the homeostatic synaptic scaling rules that produce E-I balance and in vivo-like activity. We show that synaptic strength scales with the number of connections K as ∼ , close to the ideal theoretical value. Using optogenetic techniques, we delivered spatiotemporally patterned stimuli to neurons and confirmed key theoretical predictions: E-I balance is maintained, active decorrelation occurs and the spiking correlation increases with firing rate. Moreover, the trial-to-trial response variability decreased during stimulation, as observed in vivo. These results-obtained in generic cultures, predicted by theory and observed in the intact brain-suggest that the synaptic scaling rule and resultant dynamics are emergent properties of networks in general.
authors.affiliation: Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Jérémie
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9658-7659
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barral
authors.affiliation: Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D Reyes
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques / Q000379:methods; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*