Correlation and synchrony transfer in integrate-and-fire neurons: basic properties and consequences for coding.

We study how pairs of neurons transfer correlated input currents into correlated spikes. Over rapid time scales, correlation transfer increases with both spike time variability and rate; the dependence on variability disappears at large time scales. This persists for a nonlinear membrane model and for heterogeneous cell pairs, but strong nonmonotonicities follow from refractory effects. We present consequences for population coding and for the encoding of time-varying stimuli.