Data for: Prediction in cultured cortical neural networks

Theory suggest that networks of neurons may predict their input. Prediction may underlie most aspects of information processing, and is believed to be involved in motor and cognitive control and decision making. Retinal cells have been shown to be capable of predicting visual stimuli, and there is some evidence for prediction of input in the visual cortex and hippocampus. However, there is no proof that the ability to predict is a generic feature of neural networks. We investigated whether random in vitro neuronal networks can predict stimulation, and how prediction is related to short and long-term memory. To answer these questions we applied two different stimulation modalities. Focal electrical stimulation has been shown to induce long term memory traces, whereas global optogenetic stimulation did not. We used mutual information to quantify how much activity recorded from these networks reduces the uncertainty of upcoming stimuli (prediction) or recent past stimuli (short-term memory..., ,