Coexistence of synchronized "oscillatory" and desynchronized "rate" activity in cortical networks

The basis of MRI and PET experiments is the finding that neuronal cell firing levels are modulated in a task dependent manner. Results from EEG and MEG experiments on the other hand point to the importance of synchrony, e.g. the peak frequency may depend on the difficulty of the task. In most models only one of these activity modes of firing is desirable or possible to produce. In this work we show how a cortical microcircuit can produce either synchronized or desynchronized firing, and how this solves problems of present day rate and synchronization models. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.