Mechanisms and Functions of Intermittent Synchronization in Neural and Other Living Systems

Indiana University, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Abstract

Living nature is cyclic: The heart contracts and expands, sleep and wakefulness replace each other, populations of wild animals increase and decrease, and neural cells in our brains exchange oscillatory electrical signals as we think and move. Whenever biological oscillators interact, they mutually adjust their rhythms, that is, they synchronize. This synchronization needs to be fine-tuned. For example, too much of synchronization between neural cells is associated with motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, too little is associated with impaired cognition. This research project will investigate the mechanisms of how biological oscillators go in and out of synch in time, an important problem that has not been extensively studied. Biological systems are very adaptable to the changes in the environment, and this research will explore associations between adaptability and dynamics of synchrony. The study will utilize mathematical and computational models of neural and other biological oscillators, complemented by the analysis of available experimental data. The project aims to clarify the mechanisms of synchronization in neural and other living systems. Importantly, this will not only assist in understanding of healthy normal functioning of biological oscillators, but will also advance understanding of mechanisms of pathologies -- much-needed knowledge for the treatments of several brain disorders (e.g., Parkinson's disease, addiction, and schizophrenia) and other pathological conditions. In addition, young scholars will be engaged in this research and will get critical experience in biomathematics, contributing to the preparation of a modern workforce able to tackle life sciences questions with mathematical techniques. In more technical terms, oscillations and synchrony are recognized as important mechanisms underlying many physiological phenomena, in particular neural ones. Excessively strong or weak synchrony is associated with several neurological and neuropsychiatric dysfunctions. Neural synchrony frequently varies in time. Few long-desynchronized dynamics intervals may be functionally different from many short desynchronizations, although the average synchrony may be the same. Recent studies of different neural systems reported the strong prevalence of short desynchronizations. This research will explore the nature and function of these short desynchronizations in neural systems and analyze temporal patterning of synchrony in other living systems. Several questions will be answered: What are the mechanisms of short desynchronizations in neural systems? What function do they serve? What changes in the patterning of synchrony may lead to what dysfunctions? What are the differences in the temporal patterning of synchrony in neural and non-neural living systems? Mathematical techniques will explain how the patterning of synchrony contributes to the adaptability and efficiency of living systems. From a mathematical standpoint, the project will advance understanding of how some experimentally-relevant universal dynamics may emerge in a class of moderately-coupled neural-like oscillators. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.