On the relevance of local synchronization for establishing a winner-take-all functionality of the gamma cycle

Interneuron networks are key to the generation of gamma-frequency range (30–100 Hz) oscillations that are observed in many brain regions. Motivated by the inhibitory effect of interneurons and summarizing experimental findings, it was recently proposed that the corresponding gamma cycle realizes a rapidly repeating winner-take-all algorithm, a role that was proposed to be compatible with binding-by-synchrony. Here, this interpretation is considered from the modeling perspective, starting from an oscillatory network model with columnar architecture and several stored patterns. Local synchronization is modeled as a so-called pooling mechanism. It is then argued and demonstrated that the locally synchronizing effect of the interneurons may be essential for realizing the winner-take-all behavior.