A Thalamocortical Neural Mass Model of the EEG during NREM Sleep and Its Response to Auditory Stimulation

Abstract

Few models exist that accurately reproduce the complex rhythms of the thalamocortical system that are apparent in measured scalp EEG and at the same time, are suitable for large-scale simulations of brain activity. Here, we present a neural mass model of the thalamocortical system during natural non-REM sleep, which is able to generate fast sleep spindles (12–15 Hz), slow oscillations (<1 Hz) and K-complexes, as well as their distinct temporal relations, and response to auditory stimuli. We show that with the inclusion of detailed calcium currents, the thalamic neural mass model is able to generate different firing modes, and validate the model with EEG-data from a recent sleep study in humans, where closed-loop auditory stimulation was applied. The model output relates directly to the EEG, which makes it a useful basis to develop new stimulation protocols.

Cellular and neurochemical basis of sleep stages in the thalamocortical network

“…An increase in the K + leak current was identified as a critical component for the transition between awake and slow wave sleep (Bazhenov et al, 2002; Hill and Tononi, 2005), and it was predicted that synchronization of the slow oscillation depends on cortico-cortical connections (Hill and Tononi, 2005). Several phenomenological and reduced mathematical models have been proposed to test the effects of neuromodulators on the sleep-wake cycle (McCarley and Hobson, 1975; Robinson et al, 2011; Schellenberger Costa et al, 2016). Nevertheless, none of these previous models examined transitions among all major sleep stages based on biophysical mechanisms.…”

A new description of epileptic seizures based on dynamic analysis of a thalamocortical model

“…Changes in the input parameters are required for transition between various regimes which can be provided by a sensory input (e.g. auditory 56 or visual 57 ) or cortical stimulation 58 .…”

Effects of Cholinergic Neuromodulation on Thalamocortical Rhythms During NREM Sleep: A Model Study

“…Regarding connections between modules, excitatory neurons (PY or TC) in each module connect to both populations in the other module. Within each module, two populations project to each other, and there exist selfconnections within PY, IN, and RE (Costa et al, 2016). Note that in the thalamo-cortical circuitry, the excitatory and inhibitory projections are mediated by AMPA and GABA receptors, respectively.…”

“…On account of the long range afferent, there exist conduction delays between thalamus and cortex module. According to Costa et al (2016), this delay is approximated as a convolution with the alpha function h(t). In this case, Equation 5is then reformulated bÿ…”