Noise-induced entrainment and stochastic resonance in human brain waves.
We present the first observation of stochastic resonance (SR) in the human brain's visual processing area. The novel experimental protocol is to stimulate the right eye with a subthreshold periodic optical signal and the left eye with a noisy one. The stimuli bypass sensory organs and are mixed in the visual cortex. With many noise sources present in the brain, higher brain functions, e.g., perception and cognition, may exploit SR.
Mori
Toshio
T
Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan.
Kai
Shoichi
S
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D013269:Stochastic Processes; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology