Temporal correlations in neuronal avalanche occurrence

Ongoing cortical activity consists of sequences of synchronized bursts, named neuronal avalanches, whose size and duration are power law distributed. These features have been observed in a variety of systems and conditions, at all spatial scales, supporting scale invariance, universality and therefore criticality. However, the mechanisms leading to burst triggering, as well as the relationship between bursts and quiescence, are still unclear. The analysis of temporal correlations constitutes a major step towards a deeper understanding of burst dynamics. Here, we investigate the relation between avalanche sizes and quiet times, as well as between sizes of consecutive avalanches recorded in cortex slice cultures. We show that quiet times depend on the size of preceding avalanches and, at the same time, influence the size of the following one. Moreover we evidence that sizes of consecutive avalanches are correlated. In particular, we show that an avalanche tends to be larger or smaller than the following one for short or long time separation, respectively. Our analysis represents the first attempt to provide a quantitative estimate of correlations between activity and quiescence in the framework of neuronal avalanches and will help to enlighten the mechanisms underlying spontaneous activity.