Neurophysical modeling of brain dynamics

A recent neurophysical model of brain electrical activity is outlined and applied to EEG phenomena. It incorporates single-neuron physiology and the large-scale anatomy of corticocortical and corticothalamic pathways, including synaptic strengths, dendritic propagation, nonlinear firing responses, and axonal conduction. Small perturbations from steady states account for observed EEGs as functions of arousal. Evoked response potentials (ERPs), correlation, and coherence functions are also reproduced. Feedback via thalamic nuclei is critical in determining the forms of these quantities, the transition between sleep and waking, and stability against seizures. Many disorders correspond to significant changes in EEGs, which can potentially be quantified in terms of the underlying physiology using this theory. In the nonlinear regime, limit cycles are often seen, including a regime in which they have the characteristic petit mal 3 Hz spike-and-wave form.