Cortical Circuit Models in Psychiatry: Linking Disrupted Excitation-Inhibition Balance to Cognitive Deficits Associated With Schizophrenia

In this chapter, we review a series of computational modeling studies using biophysically based neural circuit models to study how disruptions of cortical excitation-inhibition (E/I) balance can induce cognitive deficits associated with neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. Biophysically based neural circuit models of cognitive functions can generate dissociable predictions for how distinct synaptic perturbations impact behavior under various task paradigms. We utilized spiking circuit models of microcircuits in association cortical areas that can perform two core cognitive functions, working memory, and decision making. These studies revealed that E/I ratio is a critical property for proper cognitive function in cortical circuits. Furthermore, they provide a test bed for computational psychiatry demonstrating that neural circuit models can play a translational role between basic neurophysiology and clinical applications.