Wilson H R, Blake R, Lee S H
Biology and Centre for Vision Research, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada.
Nature. 2001 Aug 30;412(6850):907-10. doi: 10.1038/35091066.
Nonlinear wave propagation is ubiquitous in nature, appearing in chemical reaction kinetics, cardiac tissue dynamics, cortical spreading depression and slow wave sleep. The application of dynamical modelling has provided valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying such nonlinear wave phenomena in several domains. Wave propagation can also be perceived as sweeping waves of visibility that occur when the two eyes view radically different stimuli. Termed binocular rivalry, these fluctuating states of perceptual dominance and suppression are thought to provide a window into the neural dynamics that underlie conscious visual awareness. Here we introduce a technique to measure the speed of rivalry dominance waves propagating around a large, essentially one-dimensional annulus. When mapped onto visual cortex, propagation speed is independent of eccentricity. Propagation speed doubles when waves travel along continuous contours, thus demonstrating effects of collinear facilitation. A neural model with reciprocal inhibition between two layers of units provides a quantitative explanation of dominance wave propagation in terms of disinhibition. Dominance waves provide a new tool for investigating fundamental cortical dynamics.
非线性波传播在自然界中无处不在，出现在化学反应动力学、心脏组织动力学、皮层扩散性抑制和慢波睡眠中。动力学建模的应用为深入了解多个领域中此类非线性波现象背后的机制提供了有价值的见解。当两只眼睛观看截然不同的刺激时，波传播也可被视为可见性的扫掠波。这些被称为双眼竞争的感知优势和抑制的波动状态，被认为为构成有意识视觉觉知基础的神经动力学提供了一个窗口。在此，我们介绍一种测量围绕一个大的、基本为一维的环传播的竞争优势波速度的技术。当映射到视觉皮层时，传播速度与偏心率无关。当波沿着连续轮廓传播时，传播速度会加倍，从而证明了共线促进效应。一个在两层单元之间具有相互抑制作用的神经模型，从去抑制的角度对优势波传播提供了定量解释。优势波为研究基本的皮层动力学提供了一种新工具。
