Long-range synchronization of and oscillations and the plasticity of excitatory and inhibitory synapses: A network model

Long-range synchronization of and oscillations and the plas-ticity of excitatory and inhibitory synapses: a network model. J Neurophysiol 88: 1634 –1654, 2002; 10.1152/jn.00064.2002. The ability of oscillating networks to synchronize despite significant separation in space, and thus time, is of biological significance, given that human activity can synchronize over distances of several millimeters to centimeters during perceptual and learning tasks. We use computer simulations of networks consisting of excitatory pyramidal cells (e-cells) and inhibitory interneurons (i-cells), modeling two tonically driven assemblies separated by large (8 ms) conduction delays. The results are as follows. 1) Two assemblies separated by large conduction delays can fire synchronously at frequency (with i-cells firing at frequency) under two timing conditions: e-cells of (say) assembly 2 are still inhibited “delay spike generation milliseconds ” after the e-cel