Complex activity patterns generated by short-term synaptic plasticity

TL;DR

This paper explores how short-term synaptic plasticity transforms stable neural attractors into dynamic sequences of transient states, potentially useful for generating motor control sequences.

Contribution

It demonstrates that STSP can convert static attractor states into ongoing transient dynamics in neural networks, revealing a novel mechanism for neural activity patterns.

Findings

STSP induces ongoing transient-state dynamics in attractor networks

Transient sequences can involve disjoint or overlapping cell assemblies

Potential application in motor control sequence generation

Abstract

Short-term synaptic plasticity (STSP) affects the efficiency of synaptic transmission for persistent presynaptic activities. We consider attractor neural networks, for which the attractors are given, in the absence of STSP, by cell assemblies of excitatory cliques. We show that STSP may transform these attracting states into attractor relics, inducing ongoing transient-state dynamics in terms of sequences of transiently activated cell assemblies, the former attractors. Subsequent cell assemblies may be both disjoint or partially overlapping. It may hence be possible to use the resulting dynamics for the generation of motor control sequences.