Effects of Colored Noise on Stochastic Resonance in Sensory Neurons
- Center for BioDynamics and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 (United States)
- Department of Physiology, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655 (United States)
Noise can assist neurons in the detection of weak signals via a mechanism known as stochastic resonance (SR). We demonstrate experimentally that SR-type effects can be obtained in rat sensory neurons with white noise, 1/f noise, or 1/f{sup 2} noise. For low-frequency input noise, we show that the optimal noise intensity is the lowest and the output signal-to-noise ratio the highest for conventional white noise. We also show that under certain circumstances, 1/f noise can be better than white noise for enhancing the response of a neuron to a weak signal. We present a theory to account for these results and discuss the biological implications of 1/f noise. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}
- OSTI ID:
- 321989
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 82; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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