Stochastic Resonance in alpha oscillators in the Human Brain

We experimentally study stochastic resonance (SR) in the human brain through a noise effect for entrainment dynamics of the alpha (α) wave. The measurement has been carried out under the following conditions in order to obtain clear evidence of the SR phenomenon in the central nervous system. The periodic and noisy stimuli are respectively applied to the right and the left eyes of the subject independently. When only periodic and constant (but weak enough) stimulus is applied to the right eye, it does not induce any global entrainment of α-oscillators to the stimulus frequency. In this situation increasing the amplitude of the noise stimulus (frequency bandwidth from 15 to 60 Hz), harmonic entrainment occurs for a certain range of the noise amplitude and shows a sharp peak in the power spectrum of brain waves. Plotting the amplitude of the peak against the noise amplitude, a bell-type shape is seen, i.e. the maximum signal amplitude at an optimum noise. It clearly indicates the SR phenomenon. Taking account of our experimental conditions and set-up, the present SR phenomenon occurs not on the retina but on the visual processing area in the central nervous systems beyond the optic chiasma.

[1]  W. Stacey,et al.  Stochastic resonance improves signal detection in hippocampal CA1 neurons. , 2000, Journal of neurophysiology.

[2]  G. Parisi,et al.  Stochastic resonance in climatic change , 1982 .

[3]  Thomas T. Imhoff,et al.  Using electrical noise to enhance the ability of humans to detect subthreshold mechanical cutaneous stimuli. , 1998, Chaos.

[4]  Osamu Inomoto,et al.  Noise-Induced Entrainment between Two Coupled Chemical Oscillators in Belouzov-Zhabotinsky Reactions , 2000 .

[5]  Catherine Nicolis,et al.  Stochastic aspects of climatic transitions—response to a periodic forcing , 1982 .

[6]  Roy,et al.  Observation of stochastic resonance in a ring laser. , 1988, Physical review letters.

[7]  Peter Grigg,et al.  Effects of Colored Noise on Stochastic Resonance in Sensory Neurons , 1999 .

[8]  G. Nicolis,et al.  Stochastic aspects of climatic transitions–Additive fluctuations , 1981 .

[9]  Frank Moss,et al.  STOCHASTIC RESONANCE: TUTORIAL AND UPDATE , 1994 .

[10]  Massimo Riani,et al.  Visual Perception of Stochastic Resonance , 1997 .

[11]  Peter Grigg,et al.  Noise-mediated enhancements and decrements in human tactile sensation , 1997 .

[12]  D Nozaki,et al.  Functional stochastic resonance in the human brain: noise induced sensitization of baroreflex system. , 2000, Physical review letters.

[13]  John P. Miller,et al.  Broadband neural encoding in the cricket cereal sensory system enhanced by stochastic resonance , 1996, Nature.

[14]  W. R. Adey,et al.  Organization of brain tissue: is the brain a noisy processor? , 1972, The International journal of neuroscience.

[15]  P Jayakar,et al.  Localization of Seizure Foci: Pitfalls and Caveats , 1991, Journal of clinical neurophysiology : official publication of the American Electroencephalographic Society.

[16]  S. Kai,et al.  Effect of the White Noise on Electrohydrodynamic Transitions in Nematics , 1979 .

[17]  F. Varela,et al.  Perception's shadow: long-distance synchronization of human brain activity , 1999, Nature.

[18]  L. Glass.  Synchronization and rhythmic processes in physiology , 2001, Nature.

[19]  W. Klimesch,et al.  Episodic and semantic memory: an analysis in the EEG theta and alpha band. , 1994, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology.

[20]  Shoichi Kai,et al.  Noise-induced entrainment and stochastic resonance in human brain waves. , 2002, Physical review letters.

[21]  S. Fauve,et al.  Stochastic resonance in a bistable system , 1983 .

[22]  Ditto,et al.  Stochastic Resonance in a Neuronal Network from Mammalian Brain. , 1996, Physical review letters.

[23]  W. Singer,et al.  Visuomotor integration is associated with zero time-lag synchronization among cortical areas , 1997, Nature.

[24]  Bulsara,et al.  Array enhanced stochastic resonance and spatiotemporal synchronization. , 1995, Physical review letters.

[25]  Werner Horsthemke,et al.  Noise-induced transitions , 1984 .

[26]  Arthur T. Winfree,et al.  The timing of biological clocks , 1986 .

[27]  L. M. Ward,et al.  Stochastic resonance enhances the electrosensory information available to paddlefish for prey capture. , 2000, Physical review letters.