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Abstract

To orchestrate the stepwise assemblage of building blocks in a living system, effective developmental processes are required to establish precise relations among the organism’s components. Particular challenges exist for the development of nervous systems, as their functionality depends critically on highly specific relations among individual neurons. To establish precise connections among neurons, these challenges are met by using both molecular signaling systems and the electrical activity of neurons. Exploiting the exquisite sensitivity of synaptic modification rules for the precise timing of discharge patterns, the temporal correlation structure of both self-generated and environmentally induced activity is used to encode relations, thereby specifying the functional architecture of neuronal networks. Among the multiple mechanisms implemented to generate temporally structured activity, the propensity of microcircuit networks to engage in oscillatory activity plays a prominent role: network oscillations permit precise timing relations between discharges of distributed neurons to be established through synchronization, systematic phase shifts, and cross-frequency coupling. Developmental mechanisms are reviewed that translate temporal relations among neuronal discharges into functional architectures.