Mutual temporal relationships among neuronal spike trains. Statistical techniques for display and analysis.

We describe a statistical technique, the joint peristimulus time (PST) scatter diagram, for the analysis of data from simultaneously recorded neurons subjected to repeated stimulation. Distinguishable features in the scatter diagram are related to effects of the stimulus on the observed neurons and to functional relations among the neurons. Properties of this measure and its variants are described and practical aspects of its application to experimental data are discussed.