Extensive Four-Dimensional Chaos in a Mesoscopic Model of the Electroencephalogram

Mathew P. Dafilis, Federico Frascoli, Peter J. Cadusch, David T. J. Liley

In a previous work (Dafilis et al. in Chaos 23(2):023111, 2013), evidence was presented for four-dimensional chaos in Liley's mesoscopic model of the electroencephalogram. The study was limited to one parameter set of the model equations. In this report we expand that result by presenting evidence for the extension of four-dimensional chaotic behavior to a large area of the biologically admissible parameter space. A two-parameter bifurcation analysis highlights the complexity of the dynamical landscape involved in the creation of such chaos. The extensive presence of high-order chaos in a well-established physiological model of electrorhythmogenesis further emphasizes the applicability and relevance of mean field mesoscopic models in the description of brain activity at theoretical, experimental, and clinical levels.