Self-organization of memory activity through spike-timing-dependent plasticity

We studied the self-organization of memory-related activity through spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). Relatively short time windows (similar to10 ms) for the plasticity rule give rise to asynchronous persistent activity of low rates (20-30 Hz), which is typically observed in delay periods of working memory task. We demonstrate some network level effects on the activity regulation that cannot be addressed in single-neuron studies. For longer time windows (similar to20 ms), the layered cell assemblies that propagate synchronized spikes (synfire chain) are self-organized. Synchronous spike propagation was suggested to underlie the precisely timed spikes in the monkey prefrontal cortex. The present results suggest that the two networks for sustained activity are different realizations of the same principle for synaptic wiring. NeuroReport 13: 795-798 (C) 2002 Lippincott Williams Wilkins.