A quantitative theory of gamma synchronization in macaque V1

• Main Authors: Eric Lowet, Mark J Roberts, Alina Peter, Bart Gips, Peter De Weerd
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 2017-08-01
• Series: eLife
• Subjects: visual cortex; gamma rhythm; synchronization; weakly coupled oscillators
• Online Access: https://elifesciences.org/articles/26642

Gamma-band synchronization coordinates brief periods of excitability in oscillating neuronal populations to optimize information transmission during sensation and cognition. Commonly, a stable, shared frequency over time is considered a condition for functional neural synchronization. Here, we demonstrate the opposite: instantaneous frequency modulations are critical to regulate phase relations and synchronization. In monkey visual area V1, nearby local populations driven by different visual stimulation showed different gamma frequencies. When similar enough, these frequencies continually attracted and repulsed each other, which enabled preferred phase relations to be maintained in periods of minimized frequency difference. Crucially, the precise dynamics of frequencies and phases across a wide range of stimulus conditions was predicted from a physics theory that describes how weakly coupled oscillators influence each other’s phase relations. Hence, the fundamental mathematical principle of synchronization through instantaneous frequency modulations applies to gamma in V1 and is likely generalizable to other brain regions and rhythms.