A5022427481- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- stochastic dynamics and bifurcation
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Neuroscience, Education and Cognitive Function
- Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling
- Advanced Memory and Neural Computing
- EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
- Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Neural Networks and Applications
- Complex Systems and Time Series Analysis
- Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation
University of Minho
2023-2025
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
2020-2024
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key brain region for motivated behaviors, yet how distinct neuronal populations encode appetitive or aversive stimuli remains undetermined. Using microendoscopic calcium imaging in mice, we tracked NAc shell D1- D2-medium spiny neurons' (MSNs) activity during exposure to of opposing valence and associative learning. Despite drift individual coding, both D2-population was sufficient discriminate unconditioned stimuli, but not predictive cues. Notably, D2-MSNs...
Abstract To survive, individuals must learn to associate cues in the environment with emotionally relevant outcomes. This association is partially mediated by nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key brain region of reward circuit that mainly composed GABAergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs), express either dopamine receptor D1 or D2. Recent studies showed both populations can drive and aversion, however, activity these during appetitive aversive Pavlovian conditioning remains be determined. Here, we...
Recent experimental results on spike avalanches measured in the urethane-anesthetized rat cortex have revealed scaling relations that indicate a phase transition at specific level of cortical firing rate variability. The point to critical exponents whose values differ from those branching process, which has been canonical model employed understand brain criticality. This suggested different model, with transition, might be required explain data. Here we show this is not necessarily case. By...
Asynchronous irregular (AI) and critical states are two competing frameworks proposed to explain spontaneous neuronal activity. Here, we propose a mean-field model with simple stochastic neurons that generalizes the integrate-and-fire network of Brunel (2000). We show point balanced inhibitory/excitatory synaptic weight ratio $g_c \approx 4$ corresponds second order absorbing phase transition usual in self-organized (SOC) models. At balance $g_c$, exhibits power-law avalanches exponents,...
Complex systems are typically characterized as an intermediate situation between a complete regular structure and random system. Brain signals can be studied striking example of such systems: cortical states range from highly synchronous ordered neuronal activity (with higher spiking variability) to desynchronized disordered regimes lower variability). It has been recently shown, by testing independent signatures criticality, that phase transition occurs in state variability. Here we use...
Abstract The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key brain region for motivated behaviors, yet how distinct neuronal populations encode appetitive or aversive stimuli remains undetermined. Using microendoscopic calcium imaging, we tracked NAc shell D1- D2-medium spiny neurons’ (MSNs) activity during exposure to of opposing valence and associative learning. Despite drift in individual coding, both D2-population was sufficient discriminate unconditioned stimuli, but not predictive cues. Notably,...
Neuronal avalanches and asynchronous irregular (AI) firing patterns have been thought to represent distinct frameworks understand the brain spontaneous activity. The former is typically present in systems where there a balance between slow accumulation of tension its fast dissipation, whereas latter accompanied by synaptic excitation inhibition (E/I). Here, we develop new theory E/I that relies on two homeostatic adaptation mechanisms: short-term depression spike-dependent threshold...
An important working hypothesis to investigate brain activity is whether it operates in a critical regime. Recently, maximum-entropy phenomenological models have emerged as an alternative way of identifying behavior neuronal data sets. In the present paper, we signatures criticality from firing rate-based approach on sets generated by computational models, and compare them experimental results. We found that maximum entropy consistently identifies around phase transition rules out without...
Abstract To survive, individuals must learn to associate cues in the environment with emotionally relevant outcomes. This association is partially mediated by nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key brain region of reward circuit that mainly composed GABAergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs), express either dopamine receptor D1 or D2. Recent studies showed both populations can drive and aversion, however, activity these during appetitive aversive Pavlovian conditioning remains be determined. Here, we...
Abstract Neuronal avalanches and asynchronous irregular (AI) firing patterns have been thought to represent distinct frameworks understand the brain spontaneous activity. The former is typically present in systems where there a balance between slow accumulation of tension its fast dissipation, whereas latter accompanied by synaptic excitation inhibition (E/I). Here, we develop new theory E/I that relies on two homeostatic adaptation mechanisms: short-term depression spike-dependent threshold...