Abstract
Neuronal activity in the brain generates synchronous oscillations of the Local Field Potential (LFP). The traditional analyses of the LFPs are based on decomposing the signal into simpler components, such as sinusoidal harmonics. However, a common drawback of such methods is that the decomposition primitives are usually presumed from the onset, which may bias our understanding of the signal’s structure. Here, we introduce an alternative approach that allows an impartial, high resolution, hands-off decomposition of the brain waves into a small number of discrete, frequency-modulated oscillatory processes, which we call oscillons. In particular, we demonstrate that mouse hippocampal LFP contain a single oscillon that occupies the θ-frequency band and a couple of γ-oscillons that correspond, respectively, to slow and fast γ-waves. Since the oscillons were identified empirically, they may represent the actual, physical structure of synchronous oscillations in neuronal ensembles, whereas Fourier-defined “brain waves” are nothing but poorly resolved oscillons.
Highlights
Neurons in the brain are submerged into a rhythmically oscillating electrical field, created by synchronized synaptic currents[1]
Applying Discrete Padé Transform (DPT) analyses to Local Field Potential (LFP) rhythms recorded in mouse hippocampi reveals a new level in their structure–a small number of frequency-modulated oscillatory processes, which we call oscillons
Since oscillons emerged as a result of empirical analyses, we hypothesize that they represent the actual, physical structure of synchronized neuronal oscillations, which were previously approximately described as the Fourier-defined “brain waves.”
Summary
Neuronal activity in the brain generates synchronous oscillations of the Local Field Potential (LFP). Wavelet analysis is most appropriate for studying time-localized events, such as ripples or spindles[7,8], whereas for the general analyses, the oscillatory nature of LFPs suggests using discrete Fourier decomposition into a set of plane waves with a fixed set of frequencies ω, 2ω, 3ω,. The latter approach has dominated the field for the last several decades and constitutes, in effect, the only systematic framework for our understanding of the structure and the physiological functions of the brain rhythms[6]. Since oscillons emerged as a result of empirical analyses, we hypothesize that they represent the actual, physical structure of synchronized neuronal oscillations, which were previously approximately described as the Fourier-defined “brain waves.”
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