Resonance phenomena across multiple scales of neural activity

ABSTRACT: A walk from the coffee machine to your desk often results in spilled coffee. What do such spills and a vibrating guitar string have in common? Both illustrate the concept of resonance, a phenomenon inherent to most physical systems. Biological systems, including our sensory cortices, also resonate when stimulated near their natural frequencies. Traditionally, studies on rhythmic sensory stimulation focused on the temporal aspects of neural responses (e.g. frequency following response, entrainment, resonance), and less so on their spatial dynamics and the propagation of neural activity. In this talk, I will first present the temporal dimension of resonance using examples from human EEG studies on vision and touch. Next, I will discuss the spatial aspects of resonance phenomena in response to rhythmic stimulation, focusing on traveling waves and the emergence of standing waves in wide-field imaging recordings in mice. Finally, I will relate these findings in mice to the spatial properties of flicker-induced hallucinations in humans and explore open questions and future directions.

Location: AI 1153 EPFL 

Zoom Info

Topic: V&C

Seminar Time: Dec 5, 2024 02:00 PM Zurich

Join Zoom Meeting https://epfl.zoom.us/j/61511584876?pwd=Rhi6I0AdTgEVZFzPjaaliXxatglpN6.1 

Meeting ID: 615 1158 4876

Passcode: 2025