Oscillations

[Jim Bower]

Concerning the inquiry by Mark James on the recent NIPS workshop on cortical 
oscillations.  Matthew Wilson and I published a paper in last years
NIPS proceedings that proposed a mechanism for cortical oscillations in
visual cortex that involves both horizontal connections and inhibitory neurons. 
This work is also the subject of an upcoming paper in Neural
Computation (probably the second 1991 issue).  This work is derived from
our efforts over the last five years to model 40 Hz oscillations in the 
olfactory system (c.f. Bower, J.M. 1990,  Reverse engineering the nervous
system: An anatomical, physiological, and computer based approach.  In: An
Introduction to Neural and Electronic Networks. S. Zornetzer, J. Davis, and
C. Lau, editors.  Academic Press  pp. 3-24.) .  These olfactory oscillations
appear to be far more robust than those in visual cortex. I should mention
that the important conclusion of the visual cortex work is that the zero
phase oscillations occur only on average over a number of stimulus trials
and therefore are unlikely to serve as the basis for "binding", attention,
or awareness.
 
Jim Bower
jbower at smaug.cns.caltech.edu