Bursting dynamics and network structural changes towards and away from a Pavlovian-conditioned neural network
Fig 2
Amplification of rewarded stimulus-evoked bursts during Pavlovian conditioning.
(A) Raster plots showcasing neural spikes and stimulus-triggered bursts at different conditioning stages. The arrows atop each plot denote stimulation timings: the green (black) arrows mark the times of rewarded (non-rewarded) stimulations given to the target (non-target) subpopulation(s) (refer to Fig 1). Beneath each raster plot, the corresponding spike density function (SDF) is depicted. Population SDF was computed by convolving spikes with a Gaussian kernel of σ = 10 ms width. Magenta triangle markers pinpoint reward times. (B) Burst profiles (green lines) evoked by a rewarded stimulus. Overlaying each graph is the average non-rewarded stimulus-evoked burst profile (black solid line), accompanied by gray shades illustrating the corresponding standard deviation across a 4-second time-frame. Vertical dashed lines and green (black) arrows denote the timings of rewarded (non-rewarded) stimuli. It is noteworthy that the population burst SDF corresponding to the green arrows undergoes significant enhancement as the conditioning progresses, while those corresponding to the black arrows remain more or less unchanged. A small level of basal dopamine D0 = 0.0015 μM was assumed.