Efficient “Communication through Coherence” Requires Oscillations Structured to Minimize Interference between Signals
Figure 1
Selective communication by coherent gain modulation.
Independent orientation stimuli are represented in separate input networks as population codes with bell-shaped firing rate tuning curves. These input networks converge to provide a combined input to the receiving network. To selectively route the information encoded in one input network (the ‘target’ input) to the output of the receiving network, a top-down control signal imposes an oscillatory modulation on the target network firing rate and a coherent oscillatory gain modulation in the receiving network. The output of the receiving network is integrated over time to produce a spatial pattern of activity, which is decoded to produce an estimate of the target stimulus.