Dynamical Reorganization of Synchronous Activity Patterns in Prefrontal Cortex-Hippocampus Networks During Behavioral Sensitization

Neural synchrony exhibits temporal variability and, therefore, the temporal patterns of synchronization and desynchronization may have functional relevance. This study employs novel time-series analysis to explore how neural signals become transiently phase locked and unlocked in the theta frequency band in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of awake, behaving rats during repeated injections of the psychostimulant, D-Amphetamine (AMPH). Short (but frequent) desynchronized events dominate synchronized dynamics in each of the animals we examined. After the first AMPH injection, only increases in the relative prevalence of short desynchronization episodes (but not in average synchrony strength) were significant. Throughout sensitization, both strength and the fine temporal structure of synchrony (measured as the relative prevalence of short desynchronizations) were similarly altered with AMPH injections, with each measure decreasing in the preinjection epoch and increasing after injection. Sensitization also induced decoupling between locomotor activity and synchrony. The increase in numerous short desynchronizations (as opposed to infrequent, but long desynchronizations) in AMPH-treated animals may indicate that synchrony is easy to form yet easy to break. These data yield a novel insight into how synchrony is dynamically altered in cortical networks by AMPH and identify neurophysiological changes that may be important to understand the behavioral pathologies of addiction.