Multiscale dynamical characterization of cortical brain states: from synchrony to asynchrony
arXiv Preprint Archive October 7, 2025 Maria V. Sanchez-Vives, Arnau Manasanch, Andrea Pigorini et al.
The cerebral cortex generates diverse patterns of activity that shift across brain states such as sleep, wakefulness, anesthesia, and disorders of consciousness, yet a unified definition of brain states remains elusive. This review focuses on two extremes: synchronous states, which predominantly underlie unconsciousness, and asynchronous states, which predominantly underlie consciousness, though exceptions exist. The authors integrate data across levels from local circuits to whole-brain dynamics, examining properties like cortical complexity, functional connectivity, synchronization, wave propagation, and excitatory-inhibitory balance. They make experimental and clinical data, as well as computational models at micro-, meso-, and macrocortical levels, available to readers.