PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Shervin Safavi
AU  - Abhilash Dwarakanath
AU  - Vishal Kapoor
AU  - Joachim Werner
AU  - Nicholas G. Hatsopoulos
AU  - Nikos K. Logothetis
AU  - Theofanis I. Panagiotaropoulos
TI  - Non-monotonic spatial structure of interneuronal correlations in prefrontal microcircuits
AID  - 10.1101/128249
DP  - 2017 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 128249
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/04/19/128249.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/04/19/128249.full
AB  - Correlated fluctuations of single neuron discharges, on a mesoscopic scale, decrease as a function of lateral distance in early sensory cortices, reflecting a rapid spatial decay of lateral connection probability and excitation. However, spatial periodicities in horizontal connectivity and associational input as well as an enhanced probability of lateral excitatory connections in the association cortex could theoretically result in non-monotonic correlation structures. Here we show such a spatially non-monotonic correlation structure, characterized by significantly positive long-range correlations, in the inferior convexity of the macaque prefrontal cortex. This functional connectivity kernel was more pronounced during wakefulness than anesthesia and could be largely attributed to the spatial pattern of correlated variability between functionally similar neurons during structured visual stimulation. These results suggest that the spatial decay of lateral functional connectivity is not a common organizational principle of neocortical microcircuits. A non-monotonic correlation structure could reflect a critical topological feature of prefrontal microcircuits, facilitating their role in integrative processes.eTOC Blurb Safavi et al. report a non-monotonic and long-range spatial correlation structure in the lateral prefrontal cortex.HighlightsNon-monotonic spatial structure of interneuronal correlations in prefrontal cortexNon-monotonic spatial structure stronger during wakefulness than anesthesiaStrong and positive long-range correlations between prefrontal neuronsNon-monotonicity stronger for functionally similar neurons