Temporal dynamics of energy-efficient coding in mouse primary visual cortex

Abstract Sparse coding enables cortical populations to represent sensory inputs efficiently, yet its temporal dynamics remain poorly understood. Consistent with theoretical predictions, we show that stimulus onset triggers broad cortical activation, initially reducing sparseness and increasing mutual information. Subsequently, competitive interactions sustain mutual information as activity declines and sparseness increases. Notably, coding efficiency, defined as the ratio of mutual information to metabolic cost, progressively increases, demonstrating the dynamic optimization of sensory representations. Competing Interest Statement D.L.R. has a financial interest in Scanbox imaging electronics and software. None of the other authors has any conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, to disclose.