Dynamical Constraints on Computing with Spike Timing in the Cortex

If the cortex uses spike timing to compute, the timing of the spikes must be robust to perturbations. Based on a recent framework that provides a simple criterion to determine whether a spike sequence produced by a generic network is sensitive to initial conditions, and numerical simulations of a variety of network architectures, we argue within the limits set by our model of the neuron, that it is unlikely that precise sequences of spike timings are used for computation under conditions typically found in the cortex. 1 Introduction