Experimental Evidence of Quasicriticality in the Brain

The critical brain dynamics hypothesis has experienced heated, but healthy, discussions. However, the following puzzle emerges. If cortical dynamics were critical then one is forced to conclude that, not only animals of different or same species but also the same brain subject to different stimuli, all belong to different universality classes. We address this problem using the organizing principle of quasicriticality, developed as a framework for cortical dynamics. Our principle has specific predictions, and we subject them to possible refutation. Using the highest quality data available in this domain we show that quasicriticality’s predictions survive the test providing a resolution to the puzzle.