Full-density multi-scale account of structure and dynamics of macaque visual cortex

TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive multi-scale spiking network model of macaque visual cortex, integrating detailed connectivity data to simulate and analyze the complex dynamics and hierarchical activity propagation in visual processing.

Contribution

It provides the first full-scale microcircuit model of all macaque visual areas, combining detailed anatomical data with dynamical constraints to explore cortical activity across multiple scales.

Findings

Reproduces stable asynchronous irregular activity states.

Shows longer intrinsic time scales in higher visual areas.

Activity propagates consistent with experimental visual imagery data.

Abstract

We present a multi-scale spiking network model of all vision-related areas of macaque cortex that represents each area by a full-scale microcircuit with area-specific architecture. The layer- and population-resolved network connectivity integrates axonal tracing data from the CoCoMac database with recent quantitative tracing data, and is systematically refined using dynamical constraints. Simulations reveal a stable asynchronous irregular ground state with heterogeneous activity across areas, layers, and populations. Elicited by large-scale interactions, the model reproduces longer intrinsic time scales in higher compared to early visual areas. Activity propagates down the visual hierarchy, similar to experimental results associated with visual imagery. Cortico-cortical interaction patterns agree well with fMRI resting-state functional connectivity. The model bridges the gap between local and large-scale accounts of cortex, and clarifies how the detailed connectivity of cortex shapes its dynamics on multiple scales.