QLS Seminar - Friday 4 July at 11h00 - "A Complex Systems Physics Framework for Cortical States: From E/I Balance to Emergent Oscillations" by Nima Dehghani (MIT)

[Infopoint]

Dear All,

On Friday, 4 July  at 11:00 CET, Dr. Nima Dehghani - Center for Brain, 
Minds, & Machines,  (MIT) will give a seminar titled:

*"A Complex Systems Physics Framework for Cortical States: From E/I 
Balance to Emergent Oscillations**"

*_Abstract:

_Understanding the complex dynamics of excitation and inhibition within 
the cortex offers crucial insights into neural ensemble behavior across 
multiple states, from wakefulness to sleep. By leveraging tools from 
dynamical systems and analogies from statistical physics, this body of 
work explores the spatiotemporal balance between excitation and 
inhibition, highlighting how these dynamics contribute to both local and 
global cortical activity patterns. The observed symmetry breaking at 
critical moments, reminiscent of phase transitions in physical systems, 
underscores the sensitivity of cortical networks to small perturbations, 
which can cascade into larger-scale oscillations and state changes.

High-frequency oscillations, including beta and gamma rhythms, emerge 
from this intricate interplay and propagate systematically across the 
cortex. These oscillations are especially prominent during slow-wave 
sleep, where they likely play a role in cognitive functions such as 
memory consolidation. By integrating ensemble analyses across different 
behavioral states—wakefulness, sleep, and transitions—this research 
illuminates how excitation and inhibition orchestrate the neocortex’s 
ability to dynamically balance stability and flexibility, driving 
fundamental processes such as oscillatory rhythms and coordinated 
network activity.

This work not only advances our understanding of the neural processes 
underlying normal cortical function but also offers insights into 
pathological conditions, such as seizures, where this balance is 
disrupted. These findings bridge the gap between neural biophysics and 
large-scale functional dynamics, offering a fresh perspective on how 
cortical states self-organize through emergent, multiscale processes.


References:
         1. Symmetry’s Edge in Cortical Dynamics: Multiscale Dynamics of 
Ensemble Excitation and Inhibition (https://arxiv.org/html/2306.11965v4)
         2. Ensemble Inhibition and Excitation in the Human Cortex: An 
Ising-model Analysis with Uncertainties 
(https://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevE.99.032408)
         3. Dynamic Balance of Excitation and Inhibition in Human and 
Monkey Neocortex (https://www.nature.com/articles/srep23176)
         4. High-frequency Oscillations in Human and Monkey Neocortex 
During the Wake–Sleep Cycle 
(https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1523583113)
         5. Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Neocortical Excitation and 
Inhibition During Human Sleep 
(https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1109895109)

*
The seminar will take place in the _Common area, Old SISSA building, 
second floor - Via Beirut, 2__
_
* You are all most welcome to attend!

Best regards,
Erica

Erica Sarnataro
Group Secretary
Quantitative Life Sciences
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)
Trieste,  Italy
Tel. +39-040-2240623
www.ictp.it/research/qls.aspx
e-mail:qls at ictp.it