Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · math/0305013

Rhythms of the nervous system: mathematical themes and variations

Nancy Kopell
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The nervous system displays a variety of rhythms in both waking and sleep. These rhythms have been closely associated with different behavioral and cognitive states, but it is still unknown how the nervous system makes use of these rhythms to perform functionally important tasks. To address those questions, it is first useful to understood in a mechanistic way the origin of the rhythms, their interactions, the signals which create the transitions among rhythms, and the ways in which rhythms filter the signals to a network of neurons. This talk discusses how dynamical systems have been used to investigate the origin, properties and interactions of rhythms in the nervous system. It focuses on how the underlying physiology of the cells and synapses of the networks shape the dynamics of the network in different contexts, allowing the variety of dynamical behaviors to be displayed by the same network. The work is presented using a series of related case studies on different rhythms. These case studies are chosen to highlight mathematical issues, and suggest further mathematical work to be done. The topics include: different roles of excitation and inhibition in creating synchronous assemblies of cells, different kinds of building blocks for neural oscillations, and transitions among rhythms. The mathematical issues include reduction of large networks to low dimensional maps, role of noise, global bifurcations, use of probabilistic formulations.

Explore related subjects

math.DSq-bio

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Nancy Kopell. 2003-05-01. Rhythms of the nervous system: mathematical themes and variations. https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0305013

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Equidistribution of saddle periodic points for Hénon-like maps

We prove that under a natural assumption on the dynamical degrees, the saddle periodic points of a Hénon-like map in any dimension equidistribute with respect to the equilibrium measure. Our work is a generalization of the results of Bedford-Lyubich-Smillie, Dujardin, and Dinh-Sibony along with improvements of their techniques. We also investigate some fine properties of Green currents associated with the map.

math.DS↗
arXiv2026

On dissonance and orthogonal projections of self-conformal measures

Let $μ$ be a self-conformal measure on $\mathbb{R}^d$. We establish conditions for $μ$ under which $\dim(μ*ν) = \min\lbrace d,\dimμ+\dimν\rbrace$ holds when $ν$ is any Ahlfors-regular or self-conformal measure on $\mathbb{R}^d$. Our main result states the following sufficient condition: $μ$ is totally non-linear and not supported on a smooth hypersurface. We also establish sufficient (likely non-sharp) algebraic conditions for self-conformal measures which are not totally non-linear. In addition, we show that $\dim μ\circπ^{-1} = \min\{ k, \dim μ\}$ for every ortohogonal projection $π:\mathbb{R}^d\to\mathbb{R}^k$, $0<k<d$, when either $d=2$ and $μ$ is not self-similar and not supported on a line, or $d\geq 3$ and $μ$ is totally non-linear and not supported on a smooth hypersurface.

math.DS↗
arXiv2026

Equation-Free Screening of Mittag-Leffler-Compatible Dynamics from Scalar Time Series via kNN Multi-Horizon Profiles

Fractional models provide a natural description of systems with memory, but a noninteger derivative should not be introduced solely because a time series is curved or slowly relaxing. We develop an equation-free preliminary screening framework that asks whether a scalar time series produces a multi-horizon k-nearest-neighbor (kNN) profile more compatible with Mittag-Leffler-type behavior than with selected conventional alternatives. In an ideal matched Caputo-relaxation benchmark, the complete generation-kNN-profile-model-comparison pipeline reproduces the expected Mittag-Leffler geometry and recovers the generating order to within approximately $10^{-3}$; this is interpreted as controlled calibration rather than as general fractional-order identification. Under 3% trajectory-specific observational noise, the held-out Mittag-Leffler preference is most consistent when the generating dynamics are well separated from the integer-order limit and becomes progressively less decisive as $α\rightarrow1$. The fitted order $α_{\mathrm{fit}}$, however, shows substantially larger realization-to-realization variability. Thus, relative model compatibility is more robust than single-realization order estimation in the present noisy benchmark. Noise-free nonfractional controls show a separate limitation of specificity: a stretched exponential can generate a strongly Mittag-Leffler-compatible profile, whereas inclusion of the generating rational/Hill family recovers that family and its parameters to numerical precision in the matched setting. A positive Mittag-Leffler-versus-exponential screen therefore does not uniquely establish fractional origin. A fractional chaotic system is treated only as an exploratory extension: the Mittag-Leffler growth family gives lower finite-window RMSE than exponential and logistic/saturating alternatives over the detected pre-transition interval.

math.DS↗