High-order correlations of neuronal spontaneous activity signals

Abstract

A statistical characterization of spontaneous neuronal activity signals is presented. The first set of these signals results from in vivo measurements of action potentials of invertebrate neurons; the second set was recorded from cultured neurons based on a multielectrode-array (MEA) acquisition system. The correlations of second-, third- and fourth- statistical orders of these time series were estimated and compared to each other. Our experimental results provide the basis for considering the probability density function of spontaneous activity as nongaussian, and we also conclude that most of signals associated with MEA electrodes present a high-order correlated behavior.