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Alpha oscillations control cortical gain by modulating excitatory-inhibitory background activity

Erik J. Peterson, Bradley Voytek
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/185074
Erik J. Peterson
1University of California, San Diego, Department of Cognitive Science; Neurosciences Graduate Program; Halicioglu Data Science Institute; Institute for Neural Computation; Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, La Jolla, CA 92093
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  • For correspondence: e7peterson@ucsd.edu bvoytek@ucsd.edu
Bradley Voytek
1University of California, San Diego, Department of Cognitive Science; Neurosciences Graduate Program; Halicioglu Data Science Institute; Institute for Neural Computation; Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, La Jolla, CA 92093
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  • For correspondence: e7peterson@ucsd.edu bvoytek@ucsd.edu
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SUMMARY

The first recordings of human brain activity in 1929 revealed a striking 8-12 Hz oscillation in the visual cortex. During the intervening 90 years, these alpha oscillations have been linked to numerous physiological and cognitive processes. However, because of the vast and seemingly contradictory cognitive and physiological processes to which it has been related, the physiological function of alpha remains unclear. We identify a novel neural circuit mechanism—the modulation of both excitatory and inhibitory neurons in a balanced configuration—by which alpha can modulate gain. We find that this model naturally unifies the prior, highly diverse reports on alpha dynamics, while making the novel prediction that alpha rhythms have two functional roles: a sustained high-power mode that suppresses scortical gain and a weak, bursting mode that enhances gain.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted September 12, 2017.
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Alpha oscillations control cortical gain by modulating excitatory-inhibitory background activity
Erik J. Peterson, Bradley Voytek
bioRxiv 185074; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/185074
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Alpha oscillations control cortical gain by modulating excitatory-inhibitory background activity
Erik J. Peterson, Bradley Voytek
bioRxiv 185074; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/185074

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