Self-Organization of Microcircuits in Networks of Spiking Neurons with Plastic Synapses

The synaptic connectivity of cortical networks features an overrepresentation of certain wiring motifs compared to simple random-network models. This structure is shaped, in part, by synaptic plasticity that promotes or suppresses connections between neurons depending on their joint spiking activity. Frequently, theoretical studies focus on how feedforward inputs drive plasticity to create this network structure. We study the complementary scenario of self-organized structure in a recurrent network, with spike timing-dependent plasticity driven by spontaneous dynamics. We develop a self-consistent theory for the evolution of network structure by combining fast spiking covariance with a slow evolution of synaptic weights. Through a finite-size expansion of network dynamics we obtain a low-dimensional set of nonlinear differential equations for the evolution of two-synapse connectivity motifs. With this theory in hand, we explore how the form of the plasticity rule drives the evolution of microcircuits in cortical networks. When potentiation and depression are in approximate balance, synaptic dynamics depend on weighted divergent, convergent, and chain motifs. For additive, Hebbian STDP these motif interactions create instabilities in synaptic dynamics that either promote or suppress the initial network structure. Our work provides a consistent theoretical framework for studying how spiking activity in recurrent networks interacts with synaptic plasticity to determine network structure.Author Summary: The connectivity of mammalian brains exhibits structure at a wide variety of spatial scales, from the broad (which brain areas connect to which) to the extremely fine (where synapses form on the morphology of individual neurons). Recent experimental work in the neocortex has highlighted structure at the level of microcircuits: different patterns of connectivity between small groups of neurons are either more or less abundant than would be expected by chance. A central question in systems neuroscience is how this structure emerges. Attempts to answer this question are confounded by the mutual interaction of network structure and spiking activity. Synaptic connections influence spiking statistics, while individual synapses are highly plastic and become stronger or weaker depending on the activity of the pre- and postsynaptic neurons. We present a self-consistent theory for how activity-dependent synaptic plasticity leads to the emergence of neuronal microcircuits. We use this theory to show how the form of the plasticity rule can govern the promotion or suppression of different connectivity patterns. Our work provides a foundation for understanding how cortical circuits, and not just individual synapses, are malleable in response to inputs both external and internal to a network.