arXiv subjects

Rashid V. Williams-García

Publications and source records attributed to Rashid V. Williams-García.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A Minimal Network of Brain Dynamics: Hierarchy of Approximations to Quasi-critical Neural Network Dynamics

We present an interacting model of neural network dynamics that incorporates key biological features, including multiple forms of inhibitory interactions. We develop a hierarchy of analytical mean-field approximations to characterize nonequilibrium phase transitions between ordered, disordered, and chaotic regimes, complemented by a detailed stability analysis. We show that inhibition generically enhances the stability of network dynamics. The model is consistent with the quasi-criticality hypothesis, exhibiting regions of maximal dynamical susceptibility and mutual information, modulated by the strength of external stimuli. We further demonstrate that, at the mean-field level, the critical transition belongs to the mean-field directed percolation universality class, in agreement with prior experimental and theoretical studies. More broadly, our framework may offer insights into neurological disorders, with the unstable regime exhibiting chaotic dynamics that may be associated with epileptic seizures.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2022

Route to chaos in a branching model of neural network dynamics

Simplified models are a necessary steppingstone for understanding collective neural network dynamics, in particular the transitions between different kinds of behavior, whose universality can be captured by such models, without prejudice. One such model, the cortical branching model (CBM), has previously been used to characterize part of the universal behavior of neural network dynamics and also led to the discovery of a second, chaotic transition which has not yet been fully characterized. Here, we study the properties of this chaotic transition, that occurs in the mean-field approximation to the $k_{\sf in}=1$ CBM by focusing on the constraints the model imposes on initial conditions, parameters, and the imprint thereof on the Lyapunov spectrum. Although the model seems similar to the Hénon map, we find that the Hénon map cannot be recovered using orthogonal transformations to decouple the dynamics. Fundamental differences between the two, namely that the CBM is defined on a compact space and features a non-constant Jacobian, indicate that the CBM maps, more generally, represent a class of generalized Hénon maps which has yet to be fully understood.

nlin.CD↗