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Peer-reviewedCC BYFrontiers in Computational Neuroscience

Short excitatory projections promote burst activity and modular functional organization in neural networks

  • M. Sharif Hussainyar1
  • Di Yun2
  • Dong Li1
  • Dong Li3
  • Ji-Song Guan2
  • Claus C. Hilgetag1
  • Claus C. Hilgetag4
4 affiliations
  1. 1Institute of Computational Neuroscience, Center for Experimental Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg University, Hamburg, Germany
  2. 2School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
  3. 3School of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Nantong University, Nantong, China
  4. 4Department of Health Science, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
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Abstract

Physical constraints in the brain favor short, distance-dependent connections. However, short-range projections are not merely a structural compromise; they also serve essential functional roles. Here, we explore networks with balanced excitation and inhibition, demonstrating that short excitatory projections increase the number of common presynaptic inputs, thereby enhancing the correlations of neural responses. Strengthened recurrent correlations can lead to bursting states, amplifying postsynaptic neuronal activity and supporting signal propagation over long distances within the network. Moreover, even without an explicitly imposed modular structure, short excitatory connections can give rise to functional clustering and support a broad spectrum of modular functions. In this model, short excitatory projections are associated with the emergence of column-like functional organization and dynamic burst propagation from a single structural principle, offering a candidate mechanism by which the brain could transform structural wiring constraints into opportunities for complex computation and distributed processing. These findings motivate further work on how such structural limitations may more generally be turned into computational opportunities in biological circuits.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{hussainyar2026short,
  title = {{Short excitatory projections promote burst activity and modular functional organization in neural networks}},
  author = {M. Sharif Hussainyar and Di Yun and Dong Li and Dong Li and Ji-Song Guan and Claus C. Hilgetag and Claus C. Hilgetag},
  journal = {Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.3389/fncom.2026.1965686},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fncom.2026.1965686},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Short excitatory projections promote burst activity and modular functional organization in neural networks
AU  - M. Sharif Hussainyar
AU  - Di Yun
AU  - Dong Li
AU  - Dong Li
AU  - Ji-Song Guan
AU  - Claus C. Hilgetag
AU  - Claus C. Hilgetag
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/03
JO  - Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience
DO  - 10.3389/fncom.2026.1965686
UR  - https://doi.org/10.3389/fncom.2026.1965686
AB  - Physical constraints in the brain favor short, distance-dependent connections. However, short-range projections are not merely a structural compromise; they also serve essential functional roles. Here, we explore networks with balanced excitation and inhibition, demonstrating that short excitatory projections increase the number of common presynaptic inputs, thereby enhancing the correlations of neural responses. Strengthened recurrent correlations can lead to bursting states, amplifying postsynaptic neuronal activity and supporting signal propagation over long distances within the network. Moreover, even without an explicitly imposed modular structure, short excitatory connections can give rise to functional clustering and support a broad spectrum of modular functions. In this model, short excitatory projections are associated with the emergence of column-like functional organization and dynamic burst propagation from a single structural principle, offering a candidate mechanism by which the brain could transform structural wiring constraints into opportunities for complex computation and distributed processing. These findings motivate further work on how such structural limitations may more generally be turned into computational opportunities in biological circuits.
SN  - 1662-5188
ER  -