5,873 research outputs found
Neutral theory and scale-free neural dynamics
Avalanches of electrochemical activity in brain networks have been
empirically reported to obey scale-invariant behavior --characterized by
power-law distributions up to some upper cut-off-- both in vitro and in vivo.
Elucidating whether such scaling laws stem from the underlying neural dynamics
operating at the edge of a phase transition is a fascinating possibility, as
systems poised at criticality have been argued to exhibit a number of important
functional advantages. Here we employ a well-known model for neural dynamics
with synaptic plasticity, to elucidate an alternative scenario in which
neuronal avalanches can coexist, overlapping in time, but still remaining
scale-free. Remarkably their scale-invariance does not stem from underlying
criticality nor self-organization at the edge of a continuous phase transition.
Instead, it emerges from the fact that perturbations to the system exhibit a
neutral drift --guided by demographic fluctuations-- with respect to endogenous
spontaneous activity. Such a neutral dynamics --similar to the one in neutral
theories of population genetics-- implies marginal propagation of activity,
characterized by power-law distributed causal avalanches. Importantly, our
results underline the importance of considering causal information --on which
neuron triggers the firing of which-- to properly estimate the statistics of
avalanches of neural activity. We discuss the implications of these findings
both in modeling and to elucidate experimental observations, as well as its
possible consequences for actual neural dynamics and information processing in
actual neural networks.Comment: Main text: 8 pages, 3 figures. Supplementary information: 5 pages, 4
figure
Pain-motor integration in the primary motor cortex in Parkinson's disease
In Parkinson's disease (PD), the influence of chronic pain on motor features has never been investigated. We have recently designed a technique that combines nociceptive system activation by laser stimuli and primary motor cortex (M1) activation through transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), in a laser-paired associative stimulation design (Laser-PAS). In controls, Laser-PAS induces long-term changes in motor evoked potentials reflecting M1 long-term potentiation-like plasticity, arising from pain-motor integration
Scattering lengths and universality in superdiffusive L\'evy materials
We study the effects of scattering lengths on L\'evy walks in quenched
one-dimensional random and fractal quasi-lattices, with scatterers spaced
according to a long-tailed distribution. By analyzing the scaling properties of
the random-walk probability distribution, we show that the effect of the
varying scattering length can be reabsorbed in the multiplicative coefficient
of the scaling length. This leads to a superscaling behavior, where the
dynamical exponents and also the scaling functions do not depend on the value
of the scattering length. Within the scaling framework, we obtain an exact
expression for the multiplicative coefficient as a function of the scattering
length both in the annealed and in the quenched random and fractal cases. Our
analytic results are compared with numerical simulations, with excellent
agreement, and are supposed to hold also in higher dimensionsComment: 6 pages, 8 figure
New orbital ephemerides for the dipping source 4U 1323-619: constraining the distance to the source
4U 1323-619 is a low mass X-ray binary system that shows type I X-ray bursts
and dips. The most accurate estimation of the orbital period is 2.941923(36)
hrs and a distance from the source that is lower than 11 kpc has been proposed.
We aim to obtain the orbital ephemeris, the orbital period of the system, as
well as its derivative to compare the observed luminosity with that predicted
by the theory of secular evolution. We took the advantage of about 26 years of
X-ray data and grouped the selected observations when close in time. We folded
the light curves and used the timing technique, obtaining 12 dip arrival times.
We fit the delays of the dip arrival times both with a linear and a quadratic
function. We locate 4U 1323-619 within a circular area centred at RA (J2000)=
201.6543\degree and DEC (J2000)= -62.1358\degree with an associated error of
0.0002\degree, and confirm the detection of the IR counterpart already
discussed in literature. We estimate an orbital period of P=2.9419156(6) hrs
compatible with the estimations that are present in the literature, but with an
accuracy ten times higher. We also obtain a constraint on the orbital period
derivative for the first time, estimating
s/s. Assuming that the companion star is in thermal equilibrium in the lower
main sequence, and is a neutron star of 1.4 M, we infer a mass of
0.280.03 M for the companion star. Assuming a distance of 10
kpc, we obtained a luminosity of (4.30.5) erg s,
which is not in agreement with what is predicted by the theory of secular
evolution. Using a 3D extinction map of the K radiation in our Galaxy, we
obtain a distance of 4.2 kpc at 68\% confidence level.
(Abridged)Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Study of the reflection spectrum of the LMXB 4U 1702-429
The source 4U 1702-429 (Ara X-1) is a low-mass X-ray binary system hosting a
neutron star. Albeit the source is quite bright ( erg s)
its broadband spectrum has never been studied. Neither dips nor eclipses have
been observed in the light curve suggesting that its inclination angle is
smaller than 60.We analysed the broadband spectrum of 4U 1702-429 in
the 0.3-60 keV energy range, using XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL data, to constrain
its Compton reflection component if it is present. After excluding the three
time intervals in which three type-I X-ray bursts occurred, we fitted the joint
XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL spectra obtained from simultaneous observations. A
broad emission line at 6.7 keV and two absorption edges at 0.87 and 8.82 keV
were detected. We found that a self-consistent reflection model fits the 0.3-60
keV spectrum well. The broadband continuum is composed of an emission component
originating from the inner region of the accretion disc, a Comptonised direct
emission coming from a corona with an electron temperature of
keV and an optical depth , and, finally, a reflection
component. The best-fit indicates that the broad emission line and the
absorption edge at 8.82 keV, both associated with the presence of \ion{Fe}{xxv}
ions, are produced by reflection in the region above the disc with a ionisation
parameter of . We have inferred that the inner radius,
where the broad emission line originates, is km, and the inner
radius of the accretion disc is km. (Abridged)Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication by A&
Unveiling the intrinsic dynamics of biological and artificial neural networks: from criticality to optimal representations
Deciphering the underpinnings of the dynamical processes leading to
information transmission, processing, and storing in the brain is a crucial
challenge in neuroscience. An inspiring but speculative theoretical idea is
that such dynamics should operate at the brink of a phase transition, i.e., at
the edge between different collective phases, to entail a rich dynamical
repertoire and optimize functional capabilities. In recent years, research
guided by the advent of high-throughput data and new theoretical developments
has contributed to making a quantitative validation of such a hypothesis. Here
we review recent advances in this field, stressing our contributions. In
particular, we use data from thousands of individually recorded neurons in the
mouse brain and tools such as a phenomenological renormalization group
analysis, theory of disordered systems, and random matrix theory. These
combined approaches provide novel evidence of quasi-universal scaling and
near-critical behavior emerging in different brain regions. Moreover, we design
artificial neural networks under the reservoir-computing paradigm and show that
their internal dynamical states become near critical when we tune the networks
for optimal performance. These results not only open new perspectives for
understanding the ultimate principles guiding brain function but also towards
the development of brain-inspired, neuromorphic computation
How the mere desire for certainty can lead to a preference for men in authority (particularly among political liberals)
Women are harmed by stereotypes about their fit for positions of authority and changing these stereotypes is not a simple task. As stereotypes have strong epistemic properties, individuals with a high need for cognitive closure (NCC; i.e., the desire for epistemic certainty) can be more likely to accept these stereotypes and, consequently, to prefer men in positions of authority. Consistent with the reactive liberal hypothesis, this effect could be actually more visible among individuals with both a high NCC and left-wing political orientations. We supported these hypotheses in a series of three studies. In Study 1 (N = 217), we found that manipulated NCC predicted preference for men in authority through stereotypes of women as not being fit for authority in a measurement-of-mediation design. In Study 2 (N = 151), we supported this effect in a mediation-as-process design. In Study 3 (N = 391), we found the indirect NCC effect on preference for men in authority was more visible among political liberals. A major implication of this work is that ways of changing the effect of these stereotypes should take into account the NCC, but particularly among individuals with left-wing beliefs
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