Correlations modulate the non-monotonic response of a neuron with short-term plasticity

The impact of synchronous inputs onto a simple neuron model with synapses showing shortterm plasticity is studied. The synaptic model includes depression, stochastic release and facilitation. The mean and second-order statistics of the current are computed. The combination of synchrony and STP produces a non-monotonic behavior of the current variance , while the mean saturates monotonically. Provided that saturates under threshold, the output rate inherits the resonant behavior of , making the neuron respond maximally to a speci1c rate. Information about the input rate can be transmitted beyond the saturation of by means of . c © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.