Analysis of neural spike trains with interspike interval reconstruction

As a method for the analysis of neural spike trains, we examine fundamental characteristics of interspike interval (ISI) reconstruction theoretically with a leaky-integrator neuron model and experimentally with cricket wind receptor cells. Both the input to the leaky integrator and the stimulus to the wind receptor cells are the time series generated from the Rossler system. By numerical analysis of the leaky integrator, it is shown that, even if ISI reconstruction is possible, sometimes the entire structure of the Rossler attractor may not be reconstructed with IST reconstruction. For analysis of the in vivo physiological responses of cricket wind receptor cells, we apply IST reconstruction, nonlinear prediction and the: surrogate data method to the experimental data. As a result of the analysis, it is found that there is a significant deterministic structure in the spike trains. By this analysis of physiological data, it is also shown that, even if ISI reconstruction is possible, the entire attractor may not be reconstructed.