Modeling developmental patterns of spontaneous activity

Spontaneous activity is found in many regions of the developing nervous system; such activity is thought to be instructive for guiding developmental processes. In particular, the developing retina generates correlated patterns of activity known as retinal waves. We review the main theoretical models that have been developed to study the mechanisms for generation and propagation of retinal waves. Much of the progress in this field has been due to the close interaction between experimentalists and theorists in analyzing and modeling spontaneous activity. We conclude by describing spontaneous activity models in other systems and suggestions for future modeling work.

► Theoretical models of spontaneous activity in the developing retina help clarify our understanding of the mechanisms underlying their generation and propagation.
► Close interactions between theorists and experimentalists in this field have been key in model development.
► Models have been carefully compared to a range of experimental data.
► Future work likely to include modeling of homeostatic effects and waves from a wider range of developmental stages.