Coupling continuous neural networks to the electromagnetic field in nervous tissue

TL;DR

This paper introduces a microscopic model linking cortical neural activity to extracellular electromagnetic fields, incorporating diffusion and conduction effects, resulting in a continuous neural field equation and an electric potential observation model.

Contribution

It presents a novel coupling framework between neural dipole currents and electromagnetic fields in tissue, integrating diffusion and Ohmic conduction effects.

Findings

Derivation of a continuous neural field equation from microscopic dipole currents.

Development of an observation model for electric potentials based on charge interactions.

Integration of the Nernst-Planck equation to describe extracellular space conductivity.

Abstract

We present a microscopic approach for the coupling of cortical activity, as resulting from proper dipole currents of pyramidal neurons, to the electromagnetic field in extracellular fluid in presence of diffusion and Ohmic conduction. As a result, neural activity becomes represented by a continuous neural field equation, while an observation model for electric field potentials is obtained from the interaction of cortical dipole currents with charge density in non-resistive extracellular space as described by the Nernst-Planck equation.