Noise driven broadening of the neural synchronisation transition in stage II retinal waves

TL;DR

This study uses a biophysical model to show that noise broadens the range of coupling parameters where retinal waves exhibit critical-like power law behavior during development.

Contribution

It demonstrates that noise causes a broadening of the critical regime in retinal wave dynamics, contrary to the typical sharp phase transition.

Findings

Retinal waves can remain in a critical-like regime over a range of coupling strengths.

Noise induces a coherence-resonance mechanism that broadens the critical regime.

Power law distributions are observed across a range of parameters, not just at a single critical point.

Abstract

Based on a biophysical model of retinal Starburst Amacrine Cell (SAC) \cite{karvouniari-gil-etal:19} we analyse here the dynamics of retinal waves, arising during the visual system development. Waves are induced by spontaneous bursting of SACs and their coupling via acetycholine. We show that, despite the acetylcholine coupling intensity has been experimentally observed to change during development \cite{zheng-lee-etal:04}, SACs retinal waves can nevertheless stay in a regime with power law distributions, reminiscent of a critical regime. Thus, this regime occurs on a range of coupling parameters instead of a single point as in usual phase transitions. We explain this phenomenon thanks to a coherence-resonance mechanism, where noise is responsible for the broadening of the critical coupling strength range.