Exploring how stress impacts sensory processing, particularly at the level of neuronal population dynamics in the primary sensory cortex, remains a relevant yet under-investigated area. In this study, we applied the Phenomenological Renormalization Group (PRG) method to analyze recordings from large neuronal populations in the primary visual cortex (V1) of urethane-anesthetized female rats subjected to chronic stress.
Using a scaling criterion based on the kurtosis of the momentum-space activity distribution, we observed emergent scaling behavior across all experimental groups at a characteristic coefficient of variation (CV) threshold. However, significant differences were evident among groups, particularly at higher levels of synchronization.
Our findings indicate that chronic stress alters the functional organization of V1, specifically affecting the relationship between cortical synchronization and population dynamics. This underscores the intricate interaction between stress and sensory processing, revealing how stress influences the dynamic state of sensory cortical networks.
Contact: Edson Noia, edson.vinicius@ufpe.br
Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
Additional Authors:
Mauro Copelli, Federal University of Pernambuco, mauro.copelli@ufpe.br; Nivaldo Vasconcelos, Federal University of Pernambuco, nivaldo.vasconcelos@ufpe.br