Synchronized network activity can be recorded as fluctuations in the local field potential (LFP). In this issue of Neuron, Fröhlich and McCormick suggest that cortical LFPs themselves contribute to synchronization of the very network that generates them. Thus, in monitoring these brain waves, we may be listening to the cortex talking to itself.

Self-perception theory posits that people sometimes infer their own attributes by observing their freely chosen actions. The authors hypothesized that in addition, people sometimes infer their own attributes by observing the freely chosen actions of others with whom they feel a sense of merged identity--almost as if they had observed themselves performing the acts. Before observing an actor's b...

I show that a functional representation of self-similarity (as the one occurring in fractals) is provided by squeezed coherent states. In this way, the dissipative model of brain is shown to account for the self-similarity in brain background activity suggested by power-law distributions of power spectral densities of electrocorticograms. I also briefly discuss the action-perception cycle in th...

T he brain is never inactive. Neurons fire at leisurely rates most of the time, even in sleep (1), although occasionally they fire more intensely, for example, when presented with certain stimuli. Coordinated changes in the activity and excitability of many neurons underlie spontaneous fluctuations in the electroencephalogram (EEG), first observed almost a century ago. These fluctuations can be...

Electrical and magnetic brain waves of two subjects were recorded for the purpose of recognizing which one of 12 sentences or seven words auditorily presented was processed. The analysis consisted of averaging over trials to create prototypes and test samples, to each of which a Fourier transform was applied, followed by filtering and an inverse transformation to the time domain. The filters us...

In reading tasks, words that convey a false statement elicit an enhanced N400 brainwave response, relative to words that convey a true statement. N400 amplitude reductions are generally linked to the online expectancy of upcoming words in discourse. White lies, contrary to false statements, may not be unexpected in social scenarios. We used the event-related potential (ERP) technique to determi...

We are exploring the design and implementation of artificial expressions, kinetic audio-visual representations of realtime physiological data which reflect emotional and cognitive state. In this work we demonstrate a prototype, the Enactive Mandala, which maps real-time EEG signals to modulate ambient music and animated visual music. Transparent real-time audio-visual feedback of brainwave qual...