Local field potentials reflect cortical population dynamics in a region-specific and frequency-dependent manner

The spiking activity of populations of cortical neurons is well described
by a small number of population-wide covariance patterns, the “latent
dynamics”. These latent dynamics are largely driven by the same correlated
synaptic currents across the circuit that determine the generation of
local field potentials (LFP). Yet, the relationship between latent
dynamics and LFPs remains largely unexplored. Here, we characterised this
relationship for three different regions of primate sensorimotor cortex
during reaching. The correlation between latent dynamics and LFPs was
frequency-dependent and varied across regions. However, for any given
region, this relationship remained stable across behaviour: in each of the
primary motor and premotor cortices, the LFP-latent dynamics correlation
profile was remarkably similar between movement planning and execution.
These robust associations between LFPs and neural population latent
dynamics help bridge the wealth of studies reporting neural correlates of
behaviour using either type of recording.

皮层神经元群体的尖峰活动可通过少量群体范围的协方差模式（即"潜在动力学（latent dynamics）"）得到很好的描述。这些潜在动力学在很大程度上由整个回路中相同的相关突触电流驱动，而这些电流决定了局部场电位（LFP）的产生。然而，潜在动力学与LFP之间的关系在很大程度上仍未被探索。在此，我们在灵长类动物执行伸手动作期间，针对其感觉运动皮层的三个不同区域对这种关系进行了表征。潜在动力学与LFP之间的相关性具有频率依赖性，且在不同区域间存在差异。然而，对于任何给定区域，这种关系在不同行为间保持稳定：在初级运动皮层和前运动皮层的每个区域中，运动规划与执行阶段的LFP-潜在动力学相关谱都极为相似。LFP与神经群体潜在动力学之间的这些稳健关联，有助于连接大量使用这两种记录方式报告行为神经相关性的研究。