dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaUniversality and individuality in a neural code
| Authors | Elad Schneidman, Naama Brenner, Naftali Tishby, Rob R. de Ruyter van Steveninck, William Bialek |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0005043 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0005043 |
Abstract
The problem of neural coding is to understand how sequences of action potentials (spikes) are related to sensory stimuli, motor outputs, or (ultimately) thoughts and intentions. One clear question is whether the same coding rules are used by different neurons, or by corresponding neurons in different individuals. We present a quantitative formulation of this problem using ideas from information theory, and apply this approach to the analysis of experiments in the fly visual system. We find significant individual differences in the structure of the code, particularly in the way that temporal patterns of spikes are used to convey information beyond that available from variations in spike rate. On the other hand, all the flies in our ensemble exhibit a high coding efficiency, so that every spike carries the same amount of information in all the individuals. Thus the neural code has a quantifiable mixture of individuality and universality.
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"date_modified": "2026-03-02T18:00:32.015000Z",
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"abstract": "The problem of neural coding is to understand how sequences of action\npotentials (spikes) are related to sensory stimuli, motor outputs, or\n(ultimately) thoughts and intentions. One clear question is whether the same\ncoding rules are used by different neurons, or by corresponding neurons in\ndifferent individuals. We present a quantitative formulation of this problem\nusing ideas from information theory, and apply this approach to the analysis of\nexperiments in the fly visual system. We find significant individual\ndifferences in the structure of the code, particularly in the way that temporal\npatterns of spikes are used to convey information beyond that available from\nvariations in spike rate. On the other hand, all the flies in our ensemble\nexhibit a high coding efficiency, so that every spike carries the same amount\nof information in all the individuals. Thus the neural code has a quantifiable\nmixture of individuality and universality.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0005043",
"authors": [
"Elad Schneidman",
"Naama Brenner",
"Naftali Tishby",
"Rob R. de Ruyter van Steveninck",
"William Bialek"
],
"categories": [
"physics.bio-ph",
"physics.data-an",
"q-bio.NC",
"q-bio.QM"
],
"title": "Universality and individuality in a neural code",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0005043"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
"source": {
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"variant": "snapshot-2026-03-01",
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