Chapter 18

Neural Data Analysis II

Binned Spike Data

Pascal Wallisch

Linear models have limitations for modeling observed neural data. In this chapter, we will examine a simple nonlinear encoding model which can model discrete, non-negative data obtained by counting the number of spikes occurring in a given time bin. Luckily, the nonlinear encoding model introduced here can be fit using a built-in function available in MATLAB®.

Keywords

exponential function; Poisson distribution; log-linear models; peri-event time histogram

18.1 Goals of this Chapter

Previously, you used a simple linear encoding model to predict a neuron’s firing rate, obtained by averaging over many trials for a range of stimuli. However, linear models have limitations for modeling ...

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