LOW-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES:SP ARSE CODING FOR NEURONAL ACTIVITY

Neuronal ensemble activity codes working memory.In this work,we developed a neuronal ensemble sparse coding method,which can effectively reduce the dimension of the neuronal activity and express neural coding.Multichannel spike trains were recorded in rat prefrontal cortex during a work memory task in Y-maze.As discretesignals,spikes were transferred into cont inuous signals by estinating entropy.Then the normalized continuous signals were decomposed via non-negative sparse met hod.The non-negative components were extracted to reconstruct a low-dimensional ensemble,while none of the feature components were missed.The results showed that,for well-trained rats,neuronal ensemble activities in the prefrontal cortex changed dynamically during the.working memory task.And the neuronal ensemble is more explicit via using non-negative sparse coding.Our results indicate that the neuronal ensemblesparse coding method can effectively reduce the dimnension of neuronal activity and it is a useful tool to express neural coding.

Anticipatory activity in rat medial prefrontal cortex during a working memory task

Objective Working memory is a key cognitive function in which the prefrontal cortex plays a crucial role. This study aimed to show the firing patterns of a neuronal population in the prefrontal cortex of the rat in a working memory task and to explore how a neuronal ensemble encodes a working memory event. Methods Sprague-Dawley rats were trained in a Y-maze until they reached an 80% correct rate in a working memory task. Then a 16-channel microelectrode array was implanted in the prefrontal cortex. After recovery, neuronal population activity was recorded during the task, using the Cerebus data-acquisition system. Spatio-temporal trains of action potentials were obtained from the original neuronal population signals. Results During the Y-maze working memory task, some neurons showed significantly in- creased firing rates and evident neuronal ensemble activity. Moreover, the anticipatory activity was associated with the delayed alternate choice of the upcoming movement. In correct trials, the averaged pre-event firing rate （10.86 ± 1.82 spikes/ bin） was higher than the post-event rate （8.17 ± 1.15 spikes/bin） （P 〈0.05）. However, in incorrect trials, the rates did not differ. Conclusion The results indicate that the anticipatory activity of a neuronal ensemble in the prefrontal cortex may play a role in encoding working memory events.