I want to know if my understanding of Buzsaki's approach is on track.
Is Buzsaki, in his paper Neural Syntax: Cell Assemblies, Synapsembles, and Readers, suggesting that instead of using synaptic strength and connectivity as a defining feature, a (dynamically changing constellation of) neural cell assemblies could instead be classified based on the impact/output caused by their target "reader" neurons?
The reason, in my understanding, is that the strength of upstream connectivities may not have a biologically meaningful significance unless the downstream potential is interpreted and acted on by the target reader neuron. Hence, interpreting the output/impact caused by the action potential of the reader neuron would provide insight into the nature of transiently formed assemblies as opposed to tracking down the linkages.
Therefore, while synaptic strength of upstream neural assemblies increases the likelihood of stronger downstream potential, it need not be a requirement as even weakly connected upstream assemblies can gain significance if they activate the target layer. (Hence, the temporal window is a more deterministic classifier).
Feel free to expand more on the topic or offer any well-formulated opposing views & thoughts.