Survey of temporal coding of sensory information.

Abstract

Here we present evidence for the ubiquity of fine spike timing and temporal coding broadly observed across sensory systems and widely conserved across diverse phyla, spanning invertebrates and vertebrates. A taxonomy of basic neural coding types includes channel activation patterns, temporal patterns of spikes, and patterns of spike latencies. Various examples and types of combination temporal-channel codes are discussed, including firing sequence codes. Multiplexing of temporal codes and mixed channel-temporal codes are considered. Neurophysiological and perceptual evidence for temporal coding in many sensory modalities is surveyed: audition, mechanoreception, electroreception, vision, gustation, olfaction, cutaneous senses, proprioception, and the vestibular sense. Precise phase-locked, phase-triggered, and spike latency codes can be found in many sensory systems. Temporal resolutions on millisecond and submillisecond scales are common. General correlation-based representations and operations are discussed. In almost every modality, there is some role for temporal coding, often in surprising places, such as color vision and taste. More investigations into temporal coding are well-warranted.