Broadband Shifts in Local Field Potential Power Spectra Are Correlated with Single-Neuron Spiking in Humans

TLDR

The relationship between individual neuron spiking and the aggregate electrical activity captured in local field potentials (LFPs) remains a fundamental question in neuroscience. The study recorded LFPs and single‑unit activity from 20 neurosurgical patients to directly assess how spiking relates to LFP power spectra. Across 2,030 neurons, firing rates were positively correlated with broadband (2–150 Hz) LFP power shifts, which proved a more reliable predictor of spiking than narrowband oscillations, indicating that broadband LFP power conveys additional information about neuronal activity.

Abstract

A fundamental question in neuroscience concerns the relation between the spiking of individual neurons and the aggregate electrical activity of neuronal ensembles as seen in local field potentials (LFPs). Because LFPs reflect both spiking activity and subthreshold events, this question is not simply one of data aggregation. Recording from 20 neurosurgical patients, we directly examined the relation between LFPs and neuronal spiking. Examining 2030 neurons in widespread brain regions, we found that firing rates were positively correlated with broadband (2–150 Hz) shifts in the LFP power spectrum. In contrast, narrowband oscillations correlated both positively and negatively with firing rates at different recording sites. Broadband power shifts were a more reliable predictor of neuronal spiking than narrowband power shifts. These findings suggest that broadband LFP power provides valuable information concerning neuronal activity beyond that contained in narrowband oscillations.