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Klar P, Çatal Y, Langner R, Huang Z, Northoff G. Scale-free dynamics in the core-periphery topography and task alignment decline from conscious to unconscious states. Commun Biol 2023; 6:499. [PMID: 37161021 PMCID: PMC10170069 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04879-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Scale-free physiological processes are ubiquitous in the human organism. Resting-state functional MRI studies observed the loss of scale-free dynamics under anesthesia. In contrast, the modulation of scale-free dynamics during task-related activity remains an open question. We investigate scale-free dynamics in the cerebral cortex's unimodal periphery and transmodal core topography in rest and task states during three conscious levels (awake, sedation, and anesthesia) complemented by computational modelling (Stuart-Landau model). The empirical findings demonstrate that the loss of the brain's intrinsic scale-free dynamics in the core-periphery topography during anesthesia, where pink noise transforms into white noise, disrupts the brain's neuronal alignment with the task's temporal structure. The computational model shows that the stimuli's scale-free dynamics, namely pink noise distinguishes from brown and white noise, also modulate task-related activity. Together, we provide evidence for two mechanisms of consciousness, temporo-spatial nestedness and alignment, suggested by the Temporo-Spatial Theory of Consciousness (TTC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Klar
- Medical Faculty, C. & O. Vogt-Institute for Brain Research, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Yasir Çatal
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research & University of Ottawa. Brain and Mind Research Institute, Centre for Neural Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, 145 Carling Avenue, Rm. 6435, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Robert Langner
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Zirui Huang
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Georg Northoff
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research & University of Ottawa. Brain and Mind Research Institute, Centre for Neural Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, 145 Carling Avenue, Rm. 6435, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada
- Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, Tianmu Road 305, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310013, China
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2
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Jermyn AS, Stevenson DJ, Levitin DJ. 1/f laws found in non-human music. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1324. [PMID: 36694022 PMCID: PMC9873655 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28444-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
A compelling question at the intersection of physics, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology concerns the extent to which the brains of various species evolved to encode regularities of the physical world. It would be parsimonious and adaptive, for example, for brains to evolve an innate understanding of gravity and the laws of motion, and to be able to detect, auditorily, those patterns of noises that ambulatory creatures make when moving about the world. One such physical regularity of the world is fractal structure, generally characterized by power-law correlations or 1/f β spectral distributions. Such laws are found broadly in nature and human artifacts, from noise in physical systems, to coastline topography (e.g., the Richardson effect), to neuronal spike patterns. These distributions have also been found to hold for the rhythm and power spectral density of a wide array of human music, suggesting that human music incorporates regularities of the physical world that our species evolved to recognize and produce. Here we show for the first time that 1/fβ laws also govern the spectral density of a wide range of animal vocalizations (music), from songbirds, to whales, to howling wolves. We discovered this 1/fβ power-law distribution in the vocalizations within all of the 17 diverse species examined. Our results demonstrate that such power laws are prevalent in the animal kingdom, evidence that their brains have evolved a sensitivity to them as an aid in processing sensory features of the natural world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam S Jermyn
- Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - David J Stevenson
- Division of Geology and Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Daniel J Levitin
- Department of Psychology, School of Computer Science, and Schulich School of Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada.
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3
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Wolff A, Gomez-Pilar J, Zhang J, Choueiry J, de la Salle S, Knott V, Northoff G. It's in the Timing: Reduced Temporal Precision in Neural Activity of Schizophrenia. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:3441-3456. [PMID: 34875019 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of perception and cognition in schizophrenia (SCZ) show neuronal background noise (ongoing activity) to intermittently overwhelm the processing of external stimuli. This increased noise, relative to the activity evoked by the stimulus, results in temporal imprecision and higher variability of behavioral responses. What, however, are the neural correlates of temporal imprecision in SCZ behavior? We first report a decrease in electroencephalography signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in two SCZ datasets and tasks in the broadband (1-80 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz), and alpha (8-13 Hz) bands. SCZ participants also show lower inter-trial phase coherence (ITPC)-consistency over trials in the phase of the signal-in theta. From these ITPC results, we varied phase offsets in a computational simulation, which illustrated phase-based temporal desynchronization. This modeling also provided a necessary link to our results and showed decreased neural synchrony in SCZ in both datasets and tasks when compared with healthy controls. Finally, we showed that reduced SNR and ITPC are related and showed a relationship to temporal precision on the behavioral level, namely reaction times. In conclusion, we demonstrate how temporal imprecision in SCZ neural activity-reduced relative signal strength and phase coherence-mediates temporal imprecision on the behavioral level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annemarie Wolff
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Javier Gomez-Pilar
- Biomedical Engineering Group, Higher Technical School of Telecommunications Engineering, University of Valladolid, Valladolid 47011, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - Jianfeng Zhang
- Mental Health Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.,College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Joelle Choueiry
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Sara de la Salle
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Verner Knott
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Georg Northoff
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada.,Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada
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4
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Waschke L, Donoghue T, Fiedler L, Smith S, Garrett DD, Voytek B, Obleser J. Modality-specific tracking of attention and sensory statistics in the human electrophysiological spectral exponent. eLife 2021; 10:e70068. [PMID: 34672259 PMCID: PMC8585481 DOI: 10.7554/elife.70068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A hallmark of electrophysiological brain activity is its 1/f-like spectrum - power decreases with increasing frequency. The steepness of this 'roll-off' is approximated by the spectral exponent, which in invasively recorded neural populations reflects the balance of excitatory to inhibitory neural activity (E:I balance). Here, we first establish that the spectral exponent of non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG) recordings is highly sensitive to general (i.e., anaesthesia-driven) changes in E:I balance. Building on the EEG spectral exponent as a viable marker of E:I, we then demonstrate its sensitivity to the focus of selective attention in an EEG experiment during which participants detected targets in simultaneous audio-visual noise. In addition to these endogenous changes in E:I balance, EEG spectral exponents over auditory and visual sensory cortices also tracked auditory and visual stimulus spectral exponents, respectively. Individuals' degree of this selective stimulus-brain coupling in spectral exponents predicted behavioural performance. Our results highlight the rich information contained in 1/f-like neural activity, providing a window into diverse neural processes previously thought to be inaccessible in non-invasive human recordings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonhard Waschke
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Max Planck Institute for Human DevelopmentBerlinGermany
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human DevelopmentBerlinGermany
| | - Thomas Donoghue
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
| | | | - Sydney Smith
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
| | - Douglas D Garrett
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Max Planck Institute for Human DevelopmentBerlinGermany
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human DevelopmentBerlinGermany
| | - Bradley Voytek
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
- Halıcıoglu Data Science Institute, University of California, San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
- Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California, San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
| | - Jonas Obleser
- Department of Psychology, University of LübeckLübeckGermany
- Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism, University of LübeckLübeckGermany
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5
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Waschke L, Donoghue T, Fiedler L, Smith S, Garrett DD, Voytek B, Obleser J. Modality-specific tracking of attention and sensory statistics in the human electrophysiological spectral exponent. eLife 2021; 10:70068. [PMID: 34672259 DOI: 10.1101/2021.01.13.426522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
A hallmark of electrophysiological brain activity is its 1/f-like spectrum - power decreases with increasing frequency. The steepness of this 'roll-off' is approximated by the spectral exponent, which in invasively recorded neural populations reflects the balance of excitatory to inhibitory neural activity (E:I balance). Here, we first establish that the spectral exponent of non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG) recordings is highly sensitive to general (i.e., anaesthesia-driven) changes in E:I balance. Building on the EEG spectral exponent as a viable marker of E:I, we then demonstrate its sensitivity to the focus of selective attention in an EEG experiment during which participants detected targets in simultaneous audio-visual noise. In addition to these endogenous changes in E:I balance, EEG spectral exponents over auditory and visual sensory cortices also tracked auditory and visual stimulus spectral exponents, respectively. Individuals' degree of this selective stimulus-brain coupling in spectral exponents predicted behavioural performance. Our results highlight the rich information contained in 1/f-like neural activity, providing a window into diverse neural processes previously thought to be inaccessible in non-invasive human recordings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonhard Waschke
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Donoghue
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, United States
| | - Lorenz Fiedler
- Eriksholm Research Centre, Oticon A/S, Snekkersten, Denmark
| | - Sydney Smith
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, United States
| | - Douglas D Garrett
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bradley Voytek
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, United States
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, United States
- Halıcıoglu Data Science Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, United States
- Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, United States
| | - Jonas Obleser
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
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6
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Likens AD, Kent JA, Sloan CI, Wurdeman SR, Stergiou N. Stochastic Resonance Reduces Sway and Gait Variability in Individuals With Unilateral Transtibial Amputation: A Pilot Study. Front Physiol 2020; 11:573700. [PMID: 33192576 PMCID: PMC7604354 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.573700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Sub-threshold (imperceptible) vibration, applied to parts of the body, impacts how people move and perceive our world. Could this idea help someone who has lost part of their limb? Sub-threshold vibration was applied to the thigh of the affected limb of 20 people with unilateral transtibial amputation. Vibration conditions tested included two noise structures: pink and white. Center of pressure (COP) excursion (range and root-mean-square displacements) during quiet standing, and speed and spatial stride measures (mean and standard deviations of step length and width) during walking were assessed. Pink noise vibration decreased COP displacements in standing, and white noise vibration decreased sound limb step length standard deviation in walking. Sub-threshold vibration positively impacted aspects of both posture and gait; however, different noise structures had different effects. The current study represents foundational work in understanding the potential benefits of incorporating stochastic resonance as an intervention for individuals with amputation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron D Likens
- Center for Research in Human Movement Variability, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Jenny A Kent
- Center for Research in Human Movement Variability, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, United States.,Feinberg School of Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Center, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - C Ian Sloan
- Center for Research in Human Movement Variability, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Shane R Wurdeman
- Center for Research in Human Movement Variability, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, United States.,Department of Clinical and Scientific Affairs, Hanger Clinic, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Nick Stergiou
- Center for Research in Human Movement Variability, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, United States.,Department of Environmental, Agricultural, and Occupational Health, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
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