Mathematical biophysics of sustained nonperiodic oscillations of excitation and inhibition in the central nervous system.

Abstract

There are a number of phenomena in the central nervous system which are not periodic in the strict sense of the word. The simplest example is the α-rhythm which represents an oscillation that is not strictly periodic in a mathematical sense. Some diseases like periodic relapsing catatonia or the manic-depressive psychoses are almost strictly periodical but such phenomena as attacks of epilepsy repeat themselves perhaps at average intervals but those intervals are not equal and are not predictable. We consider that even such phenomena like a fit of creative work has the same mechanism. All those phenomena deal with sporadic spontaneous nonperiodic overexcitation of certain parts of the brain. Depending on which part of the brain is overexcited, we might have either a grand or a petit mal epilepsy, or a fit of creativity.