Brain criticality analysis reveals excitation-inhibition balance and network stability in the primary visual cortex network — The Association Specialists
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Brain criticality analysis reveals excitation-inhibition balance and network stability in the primary visual cortex network (21521)

Han Wang 1 , Jason Jung 1 , Steven Prawer 1 , Michael Ibbotson 1 , Wei Tong 1
  1. University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia

A functional balance between excitation and inhibition (E-I) in neural circuits is crucial, as its disruption is often linked to neurological disorders like epilepsy. Brain criticality theory suggests the brain operates optimally near a critical state when E-I balance is achieved. The branching ratio (BR) describes the brain’s proximity to this optimal state and the E-I balance. A BR value close to 1 indicates a more critical brain. This study uses brain criticality analysis to explore the role of different neurons in E-I balance and network stability.

We analysed single-unit activity recorded from cat’s primary visual cortex (V1) driven by white Gaussian noise, classifying neurons by waveforms. BRs were estimated using the MR estimator toolbox. Results show significant differences in BRs between excitatory and inhibitory neurons (BR_e=0.978±0.007, BR_i=0.925±0.052. T-test P=0.011). Excitatory neurons (BR closer to 1) play a major role in maintaining the overall E-I balance. Furthermore, excitatory neurons exhibit less variable BRs than inhibitory (Std=0.007), indicating their cohesive role in network stability. In contrast, inhibitory neurons display greater BR variability (Std=0.052), reflecting their diverse functions. Silencing most neurons in V1 via a GABA agonist, muscimol, significantly reduced the BR (P=0.012), further underscoring the major role of excitatory neurons in maintaining the E-I balance.

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of brain criticality analysis in revealing the roles of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the E-I balance and underscores the critical role of excitatory neurons in maintaining network stability. These results could offer insights for developing therapeutic strategies for neurological disorders.

  1. Liang, J., Yang, Z. & Zhou, C. Excitation–Inhibition Balance, Neural Criticality, and Activities in Neuronal Circuits. The Neuroscientist 10738584231221766 (2024) doi:10.1177/10738584231221766.
  2. Spitzner, F. P. et al. MR. Estimator, a toolbox to determine intrinsic timescales from subsampled spiking activity. PLOS ONE 16, e0249447 (2021).