Critical Avalanches in Excitation-Inhibition Balanced Networks Reconcile Response Reliability with Sensitivity for Optimal Neural Representation.

Neural criticality has emerged as a unified framework that reconciles diverse multiscale neuronal dynamics such as the irregular firing of individual neurons, sparse synchrony in neuronal populations, and the emergence of scale-free avalanches. However, the functional role of neuronal criticality remains ambiguous. Here, we investigate the neural dynamics and representations in response to external signals in excitation-inhibition balanced networks.

Excitation-Inhibition Balance, Neural Criticality, and Activities in Neuronal Circuits.

Neural activities in local circuits exhibit complex and multilevel dynamic features. Individual neurons spike irregularly, which is believed to originate from receiving balanced amounts of excitatory and inhibitory inputs, known as the . The spatial-temporal cascades of clustered neuronal spikes occur in variable sizes and durations, manifested as neural avalanches with scale-free features.

Visual Evoked Response Modulation Occurs in a Complementary Manner Under Dynamic Circuit Framework.

The steady-state visual-evoked potential (SSVEP) induced by the periodic visual stimulus plays an important role in vision research. An increasing number of studies use the SSVEP to manipulate intrinsic oscillation and further regulate test performance. However, how the internal state modulates fundamental properties of the SSVEP remains poorly understood.