A novel methodology to describe neuronal networks activity reveals spatiotemporal recruitment dynamics of synchronous bursting states

We propose a novel phase based analysis with the purpose of quantifying the periodic bursts of activity observed in various neuronal systems. The way bursts are intiated and propagate in a spatial network is still insufficiently characterized. In particular, we investigate here how these spatiotemporal dynamics depend on the mean connection length. We use a simplified description of a neuron’s state as a time varying phase between firings. This leads to a definition of network bursts, that does not depend on the practitioner’s individual judgment as the usage of subjective thresholds and time scales. This allows both an easy and objective characterization of the bursting dynamics, only depending on system’s proper scales. Our approach thus ensures more reliable and reproducible measurements. We here use it to describe the spatiotemporal processes in networks of intrinsically oscillating neurons. The analysis rigorously reveals the role of the mean connectivity length in spatially embedded networks in determining the existence of “leader” neurons during burst initiation, a feature incompletely understood observed in several neuronal cultures experiments. The precise definition of a burst with our method allowed us to rigorously characterize the initiation dynamics of bursts and show how it depends on the mean connectivity length. Although presented with simulations, the methodology can be applied to other forms of neuronal spatiotemporal data. As shown in a preliminary study with MEA recordings, it is not limited to in silico modeling.