Modeling and Simulation Group Meeting

---

A network model of large-scale cortical dynamics during sleep

Speaker: Elisa Chinigò, NYU Neuroscience Institute

Location: Warren Weaver Hall 517

Date: Thursday, November 20, 2025, 12:30 p.m.

Synopsis:

Neocortical slow oscillations (SOs), alternating periods of UP (active) and DOWN (silent) states, structure brain activity during sleep and are thought to be critical for memory consolidation. Using widefield calcium imaging across 27 regions of the mouse cortex, we quantify how these oscillations synchronize across space and develop a multi-regional network model linking cortical architecture to SO dynamics. We show that regional DOWN states form subnetworks reflecting the anatomical connectome and exhibit localized and global travelling waves. A simple model incorporating long-range connectivity and heterogeneous interneuron density reproduces the empirical distribution of wave sizes and identifies hub regions that initiate wave propagation. Our results reveal how large-scale cortical topology shapes spatiotemporal sleep dynamics, offering a tractable dynamical-systems framework for studying emergent oscillations in complex networks.