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Interface dynamics in planar neural field models

Coombes, Stephen; Schmidt, Helmut; Bojak, Ingo

Authors

Helmut Schmidt

Ingo Bojak



Abstract

Neural field models describe the coarse-grained activity of populations of interacting neurons. Because of the laminar structure of real cortical tissue they are often studied in two spatial dimensions, where they are well known to generate rich patterns of spatiotemporal activity. Such patterns have been interpreted in a variety of contexts ranging from the understanding of visual hallucinations to the generation of electroencephalographic signals. Typical patterns include localized solutions in the form of traveling spots, as well as intricate labyrinthine structures. These patterns are naturally defined by the interface between low and high states of neural activity. Here we derive the equations of motion for such interfaces and show, for a Heaviside firing rate, that the normal velocity of an interface is given in terms of a non-local Biot-Savart type interaction over the boundaries of the high activity regions. This exact, but dimensionally reduced, system of equations is solved numerically and shown to be in excellent agreement with the full nonlinear integral equation defining the neural field. We develop a linear stability analysis for the interface dynamics that allows us to understand the mechanisms of pattern formation that arise from instabilities of spots, rings, stripes and fronts. We further show how to analyze neural field models with linear adaptation currents, and determine the conditions for the dynamic instability of spots that can give rise to breathers and traveling waves. © 2012 Coombes et al.

Citation

Coombes, S., Schmidt, H., & Bojak, I. (2012). Interface dynamics in planar neural field models. Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience, 2(1), 1-46. https://doi.org/10.1186/2190-8567-2-9

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 13, 2012
Online Publication Date May 2, 2012
Publication Date May 11, 2012
Deposit Date Feb 13, 2012
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience
Electronic ISSN 2190-8567
Publisher Springer Verlag
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 2
Issue 1
Pages 1-46
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/2190-8567-2-9
Keywords neural field
interface dynamics
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1008548
Publisher URL https://mathematical-neuroscience.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/2190-8567-2-9

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