Nonlinear Brain Dynamics and Many-Body Field Dynamics

Abstract

We report measurements of the brain activity of subjects engaged in behavioral exchanges with their environments. We observe brain states which are characterized by coordinated oscillation of populations of neurons that are changing rapidly with the evolution of the meaningful relationship between the subject and its environment, established and maintained by active perception. Sequential spatial patterns of neural activity with high information content found in sensory cortices of trained animals between onsets of conditioned stimuli and conditioned responses resemble cinematographic frames. They are not readily amenable to description either with classical integrodifferential equations or with the matrix algebras of neural networks. Their modeling is provided by field theory from condensed matter physics.

Timing in cognition and EEG brain dynamics: discreteness versus continuity

“…Indeed, EEG waves recorded from the scalp are integrated EPSPs and IPSPs of neuronal membranes. Since they reflect extracellular currents caused by synchronized neural activity within the local brain volume (John 2002), the EEG signal within quasi-stationary segments is the envelope of the probability of non-random coherence (so called a ''common mode'' or a ''wave packet,' ' Freeman and Vitiello 2005) in the neuronal masses near to the recording electrode. Even though the cells that comprise an assembly under the electrode may be spatially intermixed with cells in other neuronal assemblies performing different computational tasks, they would be separated by different time-scale coherence (EEG frequencies and amplitude variability; Basar 2005).…”

“…It is important to note here that the cell assembly's concept is difficult to falsify (see Appendix 2 for details). activity of the two or more coherent sub-systems (Jansen et al 1988;Kaplan and Shishkin 2000;Freeman and Vitiello 2005).…”

“…These distinctive jumps between OMs have the appearance of a spatio-temporal discontinuity revealed in the EEG global field (which is not to be confused with abrupt jumps in the local EEG fields-concatenated quasi-stationary segments). Therefore, the apparent EEG field discontinuity was adopted as the sign of a state transition in cortical (and subcortical) dynamics (Fingelkurts and Fingelkurts 2001; for similar ideas see also Bressler 1995;Freeman 2003;Freeman and Vitiello 2005). First substantial experimental support for this formulation was obtained within the framework of the brain microstates concept: Momentary cortical electric field distributions are abruptly upgraded and replaced constantly (Lehmann 1971;Lehmann et al 1987 and are associated with ''atoms of thought'' (Lehmann and Koenig 1997;Lehmann et al 1998).…”

Alpha rhythm operational architectonics in the continuum of normal and pathological brain states: Current state of research

“…As has been demonstrated in vitro, the intervals of correlated activity are manifested in the oscillatory waves, which are the result of neuronal clustering (Leznik et al, 2002;Buzsaki, 2004). Thus, the behavior of neuronal assemblies is highly dynamic, most likely nonlinear and can be traced through EEG oscillations (Freeman and Vitiello, 2005;Kaplan et al, 2005;Stam, 2006;Freeman, 2007).…”

An Empirical Framework for Objective Testing for P-Consciousness in an Artificial Agent

“…The modern treatment of brain material is to approach it as an intrinsically nonlinear, anistropic, nonhomogenous and nonstationary dynamic many-body electromagnetic object [41][42][43][44][45]. Non-linear many-body electrodynamics of collections of electromagnetic entities such as atoms is the appropriate discipline in such a treatment.…”