Date of Graduation
5-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Physics
Advisor/Mentor
Woodrow Shew
Committee Member
Pradeep Kumar
Second Committee Member
Yong Wang
Keywords
Behavior; Criticality; Functional Segregation; Neuroscience; Working Memory
Abstract
One of the primary goals of neuroscience is to explain how brain function emerges from dynamic interactions among large populations of neurons. A long-standing hypothesis at the interface of physics and neuroscience posits that neural circuits may operate close to the critical point of a phase transition. In this dissertation, we will investigate a new form of criticality and the implications that it has in working memory and the generation of voluntary body movements. We will utilize this new form of criticality to investigate the functional benefits that can be harnessed by operating near the critical point when performing working memory tasks. We will show how the power-law fluctuations expected at criticality relate to how different neurons perform different functions. We will show that critical dynamics in the brain are directly related to scale-invariant body movements. We will also show that by operating near a critical point working memory tasks can be optimized. Finally, we will discuss future research based on these projects.
Citation
Barfield, J. H. (2024). Competition and Criticality in Cortical Neural Circuits Underlie Behavior and Optimize Working Memory. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/5331