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Related Experiment Video

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Published on: December 12, 2012

Griffiths phase and long-range correlations in a biologically motivated visual cortex model.

M Girardi-Schappo¹, G S Bortolotto¹, J J Gonsalves¹

¹Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 88040-900, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Scientific Reports

|July 21, 2016

Summary

Brain activity propagates as neural avalanches. Our model suggests a critical-like phase in the visual cortex, matching experimental observations of avalanche distributions and long-range correlations.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience
Statistical Physics

Background:

Brain activity propagates in waves of neuronal firing, known as avalanches.
Experimental studies show avalanche size and duration distributions follow power laws with long-range correlations and 1/f(b) power spectra.
These properties are observed both in vivo and in vitro.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate an avalanche model of the mammalian visual cortex.
To identify if a critical-like state exists in the visual system.
To analyze avalanche distributions and correlations within this model.

Main Methods:

Utilized a biologically motivated avalanche model of the mammalian visual cortex.
Analyzed the system's behavior to identify critical-like regions (Griffiths phase).
Employed mean-field approximation to analytically determine the phase transition.

Main Results:

Identified an extended critical-like region, a Griffiths phase, characterized by divergent susceptibility and a zero order parameter.
Found that this phase is near experimentally observed excitatory postsynaptic potential values in the cortex.
Observed that avalanches are not perfectly power-law distributed but exhibit a cutoff size that diverges with network size within the critical region.
Confirmed long-range correlations and 1/f(b) power spectra in avalanches, consistent with experimental data.

Conclusions:

The mammalian visual cortex may exhibit critical behavior.
The identified Griffiths phase suggests a state conducive to information processing.
The model successfully replicates key experimental findings on neural avalanches.