Thought-reading: Decoding spike-based neuronal representations

The question how the almost 100 billion nerve cells of the human brain represent and process sensory stimuli and thoughts is one of the most fascinating challenges in neuroscience. Contrary to common belief that nerve cells encode information by the rate of action potential firing, a growing number of experimental and theoretical accounts is strengthening alternative hypotheses that neural codes could be more refined and for instance incorporate also temporal intervals between action potentials of different neurons.