Neural criticality from effective latent variables
Observations of power laws in neural activity data have raised the intriguing notion that brains may operate in a critical state. One example of this critical state is ‘avalanche criticality’, which has been observed in various systems, including cultured neurons, zebrafish, rodent cortex, and human...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2024-03-01
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| Series: | eLife |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/89337 |
| _version_ | 1797253708574097408 |
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| author | Mia C Morrell Ilya Nemenman Audrey Sederberg |
| author_facet | Mia C Morrell Ilya Nemenman Audrey Sederberg |
| author_sort | Mia C Morrell |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Observations of power laws in neural activity data have raised the intriguing notion that brains may operate in a critical state. One example of this critical state is ‘avalanche criticality’, which has been observed in various systems, including cultured neurons, zebrafish, rodent cortex, and human EEG. More recently, power laws were also observed in neural populations in the mouse under an activity coarse-graining procedure, and they were explained as a consequence of the neural activity being coupled to multiple latent dynamical variables. An intriguing possibility is that avalanche criticality emerges due to a similar mechanism. Here, we determine the conditions under which latent dynamical variables give rise to avalanche criticality. We find that populations coupled to multiple latent variables produce critical behavior across a broader parameter range than those coupled to a single, quasi-static latent variable, but in both cases, avalanche criticality is observed without fine-tuning of model parameters. We identify two regimes of avalanches, both critical but differing in the amount of information carried about the latent variable. Our results suggest that avalanche criticality arises in neural systems in which activity is effectively modeled as a population driven by a few dynamical variables and these variables can be inferred from the population activity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T21:38:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-719975e29cfe403bb0cd633933becda4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T21:38:21Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-719975e29cfe403bb0cd633933becda42024-03-21T14:54:15ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2024-03-011210.7554/eLife.89337Neural criticality from effective latent variablesMia C Morrell0Ilya Nemenman1Audrey Sederberg2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4458-3773Department of Physics, New York University, New York, United StatesDepartment of Physics, Department of Biology, Initiative in Theory and Modeling of Living Systems, Emory University, Atlanta, United StatesDepartment of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, United StatesObservations of power laws in neural activity data have raised the intriguing notion that brains may operate in a critical state. One example of this critical state is ‘avalanche criticality’, which has been observed in various systems, including cultured neurons, zebrafish, rodent cortex, and human EEG. More recently, power laws were also observed in neural populations in the mouse under an activity coarse-graining procedure, and they were explained as a consequence of the neural activity being coupled to multiple latent dynamical variables. An intriguing possibility is that avalanche criticality emerges due to a similar mechanism. Here, we determine the conditions under which latent dynamical variables give rise to avalanche criticality. We find that populations coupled to multiple latent variables produce critical behavior across a broader parameter range than those coupled to a single, quasi-static latent variable, but in both cases, avalanche criticality is observed without fine-tuning of model parameters. We identify two regimes of avalanches, both critical but differing in the amount of information carried about the latent variable. Our results suggest that avalanche criticality arises in neural systems in which activity is effectively modeled as a population driven by a few dynamical variables and these variables can be inferred from the population activity.https://elifesciences.org/articles/89337neural criticalitylatent dynamicsfine-tuningpower laws |
| spellingShingle | Mia C Morrell Ilya Nemenman Audrey Sederberg Neural criticality from effective latent variables eLife neural criticality latent dynamics fine-tuning power laws |
| title | Neural criticality from effective latent variables |
| title_full | Neural criticality from effective latent variables |
| title_fullStr | Neural criticality from effective latent variables |
| title_full_unstemmed | Neural criticality from effective latent variables |
| title_short | Neural criticality from effective latent variables |
| title_sort | neural criticality from effective latent variables |
| topic | neural criticality latent dynamics fine-tuning power laws |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/89337 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT miacmorrell neuralcriticalityfromeffectivelatentvariables AT ilyanemenman neuralcriticalityfromeffectivelatentvariables AT audreysederberg neuralcriticalityfromeffectivelatentvariables |