@article {Naud143636, author = {Richard Naud and Henning Sprekeler}, title = {Burst Ensemble Multiplexing: A Neural Code Connecting Dendritic Spikes with Microcircuits}, elocation-id = {143636}, year = {2017}, doi = {10.1101/143636}, publisher = {Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory}, abstract = {Thick-tufted pyramidal neurons of the neocortex (TPNs) receive distinct types of inputs onto different parts of their dendritic arborization. In the classical view, these distinct inputs are combined nonlinearly to give rise to a single firing rate output, which collapses all input streams into one. Here, we propose an alternative view, in which a single neural ensemble can represent both a somatic/proximal and a dendritic/distal input stream simultaneously, by using a multiplexed code that distinguishes single spikes and bursts of action potentials. Using computational simulations constrained by experimental data, we first show that the electrophysiological properties of TPNs are well suited to generate such a multiplexed neural code. Secondly, an information theoretical analysis shows that this novel neural code maximizes information for short and sparse bursts, consistent with in vivo recordings. Finally, we show that the two inputs streams can be decoded by widespread neural microcircuits, which combine short-term plasticity with feedforward inhibition. We propose that multiplexed temporal codes could be advantageous throughout the nervous system because they offer the opportunity for downstream neurons to flexibly interpret multiple streams of information.}, URL = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/06/30/143636}, eprint = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/06/30/143636.full.pdf}, journal = {bioRxiv} }