IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/chsofr/v55y2013icp32-43.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sleep unconsciousness and breakdown of serial critical intermittency: New vistas on the global workspace

Author

Listed:
  • Allegrini, Paolo
  • Paradisi, Paolo
  • Menicucci, Danilo
  • Laurino, Marco
  • Bedini, Remo
  • Piarulli, Andrea
  • Gemignani, Angelo

Abstract

While several mental functions are characterized by parallel computation performed by moduli in the cortex, consciousness is sustained by a serial global integration: a single scene at a time takes place. Studies on complex systems show that macroscopic variables, integrating many components activities, undergo fluctuations with an intermittent serial structure when the system is in a state called “criticality”, characterized by avalanches with inverse-power-law (scale-free) distribution densities of sizes and inter-event times. Criticality has been established in human brain dynamics during wakefulness. Here we review how the critical hypothesis is able to explain many recent studies on brain complex dynamics. We focus, in particular, on the global, serial, intermittent behavior that can be assessed via high-density electroencephalograms, studying transitions between metastable states. Established as it is during wakefulness, it remained unsolved whether this global intermittent dynamics correlates with consciousness or with a non-task-driven default mode, also present in non-conscious states, like deep (NREM) sleep. Here we show that in NREM sleep seriality breaks down, and re-establishes during REM sleep (dreams), with unaltered spacial structure, in terms of complex branching of avalanches. We conjecture that this connectivity is exploited in NREM sleep by neural bistability, resetting and “parallelizing” portions of the cortex.

Suggested Citation

  • Allegrini, Paolo & Paradisi, Paolo & Menicucci, Danilo & Laurino, Marco & Bedini, Remo & Piarulli, Andrea & Gemignani, Angelo, 2013. "Sleep unconsciousness and breakdown of serial critical intermittency: New vistas on the global workspace," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 32-43.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:chsofr:v:55:y:2013:i:c:p:32-43
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chaos.2013.05.019
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960077913001070
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.chaos.2013.05.019?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hollingshad, Nicholas W. & Turalska, Malgorzata & Allegrini, Paolo & West, Bruce J. & Grigolini, Paolo, 2012. "A new measure of network efficiency," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 391(4), pages 1894-1899.
    2. Akin, Osman C. & Paradisi, Paolo & Grigolini, Paolo, 2006. "Periodic trend and fluctuations: The case of strong correlation," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 371(2), pages 157-170.
    3. Manfred G Kitzbichler & Marie L Smith & Søren R Christensen & Ed Bullmore, 2009. "Broadband Criticality of Human Brain Network Synchronization," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(3), pages 1-13, March.
    4. Allegrini, P. & Barbi, F. & Grigolini, P. & Paradisi, P., 2007. "Aging and renewal events in sporadically modulated systems," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 11-18.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zare, Marzieh & Grigolini, Paolo, 2013. "Criticality and avalanches in neural networks," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 80-94.
    2. Ancillao, Andrea & Galli, Manuela & Rigoldi, Chiara & Albertini, Giorgio, 2014. "Linear correlation between fractal dimension of surface EMG signal from Rectus Femoris and height of vertical jump," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 120-126.
    3. Paradisi, Paolo & Allegrini, Paolo, 2015. "Scaling law of diffusivity generated by a noisy telegraph signal with fractal intermittency," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 81(PB), pages 451-462.
    4. Perc, Matjaž & Grigolini, Paolo, 2013. "Collective behavior and evolutionary games – An introduction," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 1-5.
    5. Aghababaei, Sajedeh & Balaraman, Sundarambal & Rajagopal, Karthikeyan & Parastesh, Fatemeh & Panahi, Shirin & Jafari, Sajad, 2021. "Effects of autapse on the chimera state in a Hindmarsh-Rose neuronal network," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 153(P2).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Paradisi, Paolo & Allegrini, Paolo, 2015. "Scaling law of diffusivity generated by a noisy telegraph signal with fractal intermittency," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 81(PB), pages 451-462.
    2. Robert G. Sacco, 2019. "The Predictability of Synchronicity Experience: Results from a Survey of Jungian Analysts," International Journal of Psychological Studies, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 11(3), pages 1-46, September.
    3. Todd Zorick & Mark A Mandelkern, 2013. "Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis of Human EEG: Preliminary Investigation and Comparison with the Wavelet Transform Modulus Maxima Technique," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(7), pages 1-7, July.
    4. Wei, Jinling & Zhou, Haiyan & Meng, Jun & Zhang, Fan & Chen, Yunmo & Zhou, Su, 2016. "The SOC in cells’ living expectations of Conway’s Game of Life and its extended version," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 348-352.
    5. Mikail Rubinov & Olaf Sporns & Jean-Philippe Thivierge & Michael Breakspear, 2011. "Neurobiologically Realistic Determinants of Self-Organized Criticality in Networks of Spiking Neurons," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(6), pages 1-14, June.
    6. Marcelo G Mattar & Michael W Cole & Sharon L Thompson-Schill & Danielle S Bassett, 2015. "A Functional Cartography of Cognitive Systems," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(12), pages 1-26, December.
    7. Aguilar-Velázquez, D. & Guzmán-Vargas, L., 2017. "Synchronization and 1/f signals in interacting small-world networks," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 418-425.
    8. Laura E. Suárez & Agoston Mihalik & Filip Milisav & Kenji Marshall & Mingze Li & Petra E. Vértes & Guillaume Lajoie & Bratislav Misic, 2024. "Connectome-based reservoir computing with the conn2res toolbox," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.
    9. Stoop, Ruedi & Kanders, Karlis & Lorimer, Tom & Held, Jenny & Albert, Carlo, 2016. "Big data naturally rescaled," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 81-90.
    10. Rodrigo P. Rocha & Loren Koçillari & Samir Suweis & Michele Filippo De Grazia & Michel Thiebaut Schotten & Marco Zorzi & Maurizio Corbetta, 2022. "Recovery of neural dynamics criticality in personalized whole-brain models of stroke," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-18, December.
    11. Fabio Vanni & David Lambert, 2024. "Aging Renewal Point Processes and Exchangeability of Event Times," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-27, May.
    12. Anna Barnes & Edward T Bullmore & John Suckling, 2009. "Endogenous Human Brain Dynamics Recover Slowly Following Cognitive Effort," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 4(8), pages 1-6, August.
    13. Zueva Marina V, 2018. "A New Look at Stimulation Therapy with Complex-Structured Stimuli in Traumatic Brain Injuries," Global Journal of Addiction & Rehabilitation Medicine, Juniper Publishers Inc., vol. 5(1), pages 12-16, January.
    14. Werner, Gerhard, 2013. "Consciousness viewed in the framework of brain phase space dynamics, criticality, and the Renormalization Group," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 3-12.
    15. Christian Meisel & Alexander Storch & Susanne Hallmeyer-Elgner & Ed Bullmore & Thilo Gross, 2012. "Failure of Adaptive Self-Organized Criticality during Epileptic Seizure Attacks," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(1), pages 1-8, January.
    16. Fingelkurts, Andrew A. & Fingelkurts, Alexander A. & Neves, Carlos F.H., 2013. "Consciousness as a phenomenon in the operational architectonics of brain organization: Criticality and self-organization considerations," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 13-31.
    17. Martinez-Saito, Mario, 2022. "Discrete scaling and criticality in a chain of adaptive excitable integrators," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    18. Woo, Junhyuk & Kim, Soon Ho & Kim, Hyeongmo & Han, Kyungreem, 2024. "Characterization of the neuronal and network dynamics of liquid state machines," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 633(C).
    19. Adrián Ponce-Alvarez & Gustavo Deco & Patric Hagmann & Gian Luca Romani & Dante Mantini & Maurizio Corbetta, 2015. "Resting-State Temporal Synchronization Networks Emerge from Connectivity Topology and Heterogeneity," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(2), pages 1-23, February.
    20. Korosh Mahmoodi & Bruce J. West & Paolo Grigolini, 2018. "Self-Organized Temporal Criticality: Bottom-Up Resilience versus Top-Down Vulnerability," Complexity, Hindawi, vol. 2018, pages 1-10, March.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:chsofr:v:55:y:2013:i:c:p:32-43. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Thayer, Thomas R. (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/chaos-solitons-and-fractals .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.