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Title: Neuron synchronization analyzed through spatial-temporal attention
Neuronal synchronization refers to the temporal coordination of activity across populations of neurons, a process that underlies coherent information processing, supports the encoding of diverse sensory stimuli, and facilitates adaptive behavior in dynamic environments. Previous studies of synchronization have predominantly emphasized rate coding and pairwise interactions between neurons, which have provided valuable insights into emergent network phenomena but remain insufficient for capturing the full complexity of temporal dynamics in spike trains, particularly the interspike interval. To address this limitation, we performedin vivoneural ensemble recording in the primary olfactory center—the antennal lobe (AL) of the hawk mothManduca sexta—by stimulating with floral odor blends and systematically varying the concentration of an individual odorant within one of the mixtures. We then applied machine learning methods integrating modern attention mechanisms and generative normalizing flows, enabling the extraction of semi-interpretable attention weights that characterize dynamic neuronal interactions. These learned weights not only recapitulated the established principles of neuronal synchronization but also facilitated the functional classification of two major cell types in the antennal lobe (AL) [local interneurons (LNs) and projection neurons (PNs)]. Furthermore, by experimentally manipulating the excitation/inhibition balance within the circuit, our approach revealed the relationships between synchronization strength and odorant composition, providing new insight into the principles by which olfactory networks encode and integrate complex sensory inputs.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2124777 2425051
PAR ID:
10665639
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Frontiers
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience
Volume:
19
ISSN:
1662-5188
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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