Abstract
Neocortical activity is permeated with endogenously generated fluctuations, but how these dynamics affect goal-directed behavior remains a mystery. We found that ensemble neural activity in primate visual cortex spontaneously fluctuated between phases of vigorous (On) and faint (Off) spiking synchronously across cortical layers. These On-Off dynamics, reflecting global changes in cortical state, were also modulated at a local scale during selective attention. Moreover, the momentary phase of local ensemble activity predicted behavioral performance. Our results show that cortical state is controlled locally within a cortical map according to cognitive demands and reveal the impact of these local changes in cortical state on goal-directed behavior.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1140-1144 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 354 |
Issue number | 6316 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2 2016 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General