Firing statistics of a neuron model driven by long-range correlated noise

Abstract

We study the statistics of the firing patterns of a perfect integrate and fire neuron model driven by additive long-range correlated Ornstein-Uhlenbeck noise. Using a quasistatic weak noise approximation we obtain expressions for the interspike interval (ISI) probability density, the power spectral density, and the spike count Fano factor. We find unimodal, long-tailed ISI densities, Lorenzian power spectra at low frequencies, and a minimum in the Fano factor as a function of counting time. The implications of these results for signal detection are discussed.