What is stochastic resonance? Definitions, misconceptions, debates, and its relevance to biology

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dc.contributor.authorMcDonnell, M.
dc.contributor.authorAbbott, D.
dc.contributor.editorFriston, K.J.
dc.date.issued2009
dc.description.abstractStochastic resonance is said to be observed when increases in levels of unpredictable fluctuations—e.g., random noise—cause an increase in a metric of the quality of signal transmission or detection performance, rather than a decrease. This counterintuitive effect relies on system nonlinearities and on some parameter ranges being “suboptimal”. Stochastic resonance has been observed, quantified, and described in a plethora of physical and biological systems, including neurons. Being a topic of widespread multidisciplinary interest, the definition of stochastic resonance has evolved significantly over the last decade or so, leading to a number of debates, misunderstandings, and controversies. Perhaps the most important debate is whether the brain has evolved to utilize random noise in vivo, as part of the “neural code”. Surprisingly, this debate has been for the most part ignored by neuroscientists, despite much indirect evidence of a positive role for noise in the brain. We explore some of the reasons for this and argue why it would be more surprising if the brain did not exploit randomness provided by noise—via stochastic resonance or otherwise—than if it did. We also challenge neuroscientists and biologists, both computational and experimental, to embrace a very broad definition of stochastic resonance in terms of signal-processing “noise benefits”, and to devise experiments aimed at verifying that random variability can play a functional role in the brain, nervous system, or other areas of biology.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityMark D. McDonnell and Derek Abbott
dc.identifier.citationPLoS Computational Biology, 2009; 5(5):1-9
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000348
dc.identifier.issn1553-734X
dc.identifier.issn1553-734X
dc.identifier.orcidMcDonnell, M. [0000-0002-7009-3869]
dc.identifier.orcidAbbott, D. [0000-0002-0945-2674]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/51443
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherPublic Library of Science
dc.rights© 2009 McDonnell, Abbott. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000348
dc.subjectBrain
dc.subjectStochastic Processes
dc.subjectNeurosciences
dc.subjectBiomedical Engineering
dc.subjectSignal Processing, Computer-Assisted
dc.subjectComputational Biology
dc.subjectModels, Biological
dc.subjectModels, Neurological
dc.titleWhat is stochastic resonance? Definitions, misconceptions, debates, and its relevance to biology
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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