Scale-Change Symmetry in the Rules Governing Neural Systems

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Complex Systems Physics

Background:

• Complex systems exhibit universal phenomena when governed by laws with common symmetries.
• Physical systems near critical phase transitions display scale-change symmetry, leading to universal behaviors.
• The cerebral cortex is hypothesized to operate near a critical phase transition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the hypothesis that the laws governing cortical dynamics obey scale-change symmetry.
• To develop a practical approach for assessing scale-change symmetry in neural dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized two distinct computational models to simulate neural dynamics.
• Analyzed neural activity patterns during transitions in brain states (e.g., awakening from anesthesia).

Main Results:

• Confirmed that neural dynamical laws exhibit scale-change symmetry near a dynamical phase transition in computational models.
• Observed the emergence of scale-change symmetry as a mouse awakened from anesthesia.

Conclusions:

• Scale-change symmetry is a plausible principle governing cortical dynamics.
• This symmetry may underlie the observed universal critical phenomena across diverse neural systems.