PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Martin A. Spacek AU - Nicholas V. Swindale TI - Natural scene movie responses are more precise, reliable & sparse in synchronized than desynchronized cat V1 AID - 10.1101/031765 DP - 2016 Jan 01 TA - bioRxiv PG - 031765 4099 - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/02/17/031765.short 4100 - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/02/17/031765.full AB - How does cortical state affect neural responses to naturalistic stimuli, and is it analogous between anesthetized and awake animals? We recorded spikes and local field potential (LFP) in isoflurane-anesthetized cat V1 while repeatedly presenting wide-field natural scene movie clips. Spiking responses were remarkably precise, reliable and sparse. Many units had distinct barcodelike firing patterns, with features as little as 10 ms wide. LFP-derived cortical state switched spontaneously between synchronized (1/f) and desynchronized (broadband). Surprisingly, responses were more precise, reliable and sparse during the synchronized than desynchronized state. However, the desynchronized state under anesthesia is thought to correspond to attending periods in awake animals, during which responses are enhanced. Our results therefore complicate the analogy between cortical states in anesthetized and awake animals. The presence of orientation maps in cat V1 may explain contrary reports in anesthetized rodents, and predicts a similar result in anesthetized ferret and primate V1.