Neural Communications

Planning Group Members: Alfons Schnitzler and Hidemi Watanabe

Speaker:

Joachim Gross
Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf

Oscillatory neural communication in the human brain as studied with

Magnetoencephalography

The human brain possesses remarkable processing capabilities. How are the ~1011 neurons
in the human brain organized to support these computations? Since no behaviourally
relevant task is performed by single neurons independently, communication is of the utmost
importance and, ultimately, optimal computational performance relies on optimal
communication. Neural communication depends on the anatomical components that connect
individual neurons (structure) and the process of transmitting information (function). Both
aspects affect the overall performance of the system.
Structurally, abundant anatomical connectivity between neurons is the most striking
neuroanatomical feature and reflects the importance of neural communication. Functionally,
oscillations are a prominent feature of neuronal activity and synchronization of oscillations
which reflects the temporally precise interaction of neural activities is a likely mechanism
for neural communication.
Studies in the insect olfactory system provide the most direct evidence that oscillatory
communication is behaviourally relevant. Novel analysis techniques allow the non-invasive
investigation of frequency-specific long-range communication in the human brain with
magnetoencephalography.
In the human motor system oscillations in the primary motor cortex modulate the firing rate of
spinal motor units. This modulation is evident as oscillatory coupling between motor cortex
activity and muscle activity.
Recordings of subcortical brain circuits in healthy and parkinsonian monkeys and in patients
with Parkinson's disease have provided new insights into the functional roles of oscillations
and oscillatory synchronization for normal and disturbed motor behaviour.

Ref: Schnitzler A, Gross J. Normal and pathological oscillatory communication in the brain.
Nat Rev Neurosci. 2005, 6(4):285-96.