[Eeglablist] Invitation to collaborate on an open paper about EEG’s 1/f power distribution

[m za]

Dear Dr. Makoto  and colleagues,

After reading the paper *“Power Laws from Linear Neuronal Cable Theory”* by
Pettersen et al. (2014), I realized that I should slightly refine my
previous view.

This study clearly shows that, at the level of a single neuron, the
1/f-like behavior can emerge purely from *dendritic filtering* — even
without invoking critical dynamics or complex network interactions. The
cable model alone can reproduce this pattern.

However, as discussed by *Gao et al. (2017, NeuroImage)*, the
*excitation/inhibition
balance (E/I balance)* and *network-level dynamics* play a key role in
shaping the slope of the 1/f component. In addition, studies on the *Griffiths
phase* (e.g., *Moretti & Muñoz, 2013; Ponce-Alvarez et al., 2018*) suggest
that *hierarchical and modular network structures* can generate *rare
regions* that sustain long-lasting, self-controlled activity.

Therefore, at the neuronal level, *dendritic filtering* based on the cable
theory may serve as the physical origin of the 1/f behavior, while at the
network level, *Griffiths-like dynamics* might help stabilize and organize
this pattern across larger scales. In other words, these network dynamics
could *amplify the heterogeneity* arising from differences in dendritic
filtering among neurons, leading to a broader *power–frequency spectrum in
EEG*.

>From an analytical perspective, one could empirically test this hypothesis
by first applying *ICA* to extract independent EEG sources (instead of
using mixed electrode signals), then analyzing *power–frequency variations*
with *wavelet transforms*, and finally investigating *functional
connectivity* among these components across time–frequency scales.

In summary, combining the *physiological* (cable theory; Pettersen et al.,
2014), *network* (Griffiths phase; Moretti & Muñoz, 2013; Ponce-Alvarez et
al., 2018), and *functional* (E/I balance; Gao et al., 2017) perspectives
may provide a multi-scale framework for understanding the 1/f dynamics
observed in EEG.

Best regards,

Marjan Zamani

On Mon, Nov 10, 2025 at 2:26 PM Aysha Mahran via eeglablist <
eeglablist at sccn.ucsd.edu> wrote:

> Hi Makoto,
> I have recently published an article related to this topic and I am eager
> to contribute to this project. You can check out my work here
>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.jendodon.com/article/S0099-2399*2825*2900311-5/abstract__;JSU!!Mih3wA!BISCkIQPraSk2Sz1qTs82ZlwMduBfsn0WPbuHrRDZGbVsRvYvUwTo6H7J2A3VLBwGqVZ2zUp3sqszhN1pQEzzhvvAQ$
> I used the epoc x from emotiv.
> Looking forward for the next steps.
>  Best regards,
> Aysha
> BDS, MSc of Endodontics
>
>
> On Sun, 9 Nov 2025 at 9:20 PM 朱修彬 via eeglablist <eeglablist at sccn.ucsd.edu
> >
> wrote:
>
> > Hi Makoto,
> >
> > I am eager to contribute to this project. I have some experience in
> > machine learning and data analysis.
> > I would appreciate being included in future discussions.
> >
> > Best Regards
> > Xiubin
> >
> >
> > > -----原始邮件-----发件人:"Makoto Miyakoshi via eeglablist" <
> > eeglablist at sccn.ucsd.edu>发送时间:2025-11-05 08:07:02 (星期三)收件人:"EEGLAB
> List" <
> > eeglablist at sccn.ucsd.edu>抄送:主题:[Eeglablist] Invitation to collaborate on
> > an open paper about EEG’s 1/f power distribution
> > >
> > > Hello EEGLAB mailing list,
> > >
> > > Some of you may recall the long, dense, and ever-continuing discussion
> we
> > > witnessed this summer about EEG’s 1/f power distribution. I’m sure many
> > of
> > > you wondered, “Can they please stop quoting papers while speaking?”
> That
> > > conversation seemed to have ended on the list. But it has continued
> > > off-list! And now, it has led to the idea of writing a collaborative
> > paper.
> > >
> > > We’d like to invite anyone interested to join this open project. You
> > don’t
> > > need to be a specialist; genuine curiosity and a willingness to
> > contribute
> > > are what matter most.
> > >
> > > If you’d like to participate, please reply to this mailing list so that
> > > everyone can stay in the loop.
> > >
> > > For those curious, I’ve also included below a brief history of EEGLAB
> > > mailing list–initiated publications.
> > >
> > > Makoto
> > >
> > > %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
> > > There have been several papers initiated through collaborations among
> the
> > > EEGLAB mailing list community and myself. Perhaps the most memorable
> one
> > > was the *ICA's bug *paper:
> > >
> > >
> >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/signal-processing/articles/10.3389/frsip.2023.1064138/full__;!!Mih3wA!Cbh-YHezfgaqMmBE5W3ZEgrQrVWaUWYz-KTmrvjznnSBUe4gGGPHnTU4wiXAUjuTUdp3kJzk20zqxfyCe0Sn4D1t7BQ$
> > >
> > > We can find the origin of this project in the following post.
> > >
> > > *On Fri, May 7, 2021 at 2:25 PM Makoto Miyakoshi <mmiyakoshi at
> > > ucsd.edu <https://sccn.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/eeglablist    >>
> > > **Dear subscribers,
> > > **Recently, there are multiple independent posts about the data rank
> > > issue **with ICA. In response, I am thinking about running a
> > > simulation **experiment **with a visiting scholar to SCCN as a small
> > > project on this issue for **publication. I would appreciate it if you
> > > can give me any of the **following **as an input.*
> > >
> > > I made it festive: I invited a high-school intern to join as a
> co-author
> > > (his coding skill was GOOD); I also invited a person whose name had
> been
> > > mysteriously engraved for over a decade in an annotation of EEGLAB’s
> code
> > > in question; I cited four authorities via unfashionable “private
> > > communication”; and yes, I gave the paper a catchy title that the first
> > > author did not like… etc., etc.
> > >
> > > >* > On Fri, May 7, 2021 at 2:25 PM Makoto Miyakoshi <mmiyakoshi at
> > ucsd.edu <https://sccn.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/eeglablist    >>
> > > *>* wrote:
> > > *>* >
> > > *>* >> Dear subscribers,
> > > *>* >>
> > > *>* >> Recently, there are multiple independent posts about the data
> > rank issue
> > > *>* >> with ICA. In response, I am thinking about running a simulation
> > > *>* experiment
> > > *>* >> with a visiting scholar to SCCN as a small project on this issue
> > for
> > > *>* >> publication. I would appreciate it if you can give me any of the
> > > *>* following
> > > *>* >> as an input.
> > > *>* >>
> > > *>* >>   - Questions (what is puzzling for you? No need to be shy for
> > asking
> > > *>* >>   'dumb questions')
> > > *>* >>   - Requests (if you want to know particularly X and/or Y on
> this
> > issue,
> > > *>* >>   I may be able to give you the answer based on the simulation
> > test)
> > > *>* >>   - Suggestions (about methods, data type, applications, etc)
> > > *>* >>   - Reports (when ICA failed, what did you see?)
> > > *>* >>
> > > *>* >> If you are interested in working with me to make a contribution
> > to this
> > > *>* >> small project, please reply or contact me mmiyakoshi at
> > > ucsd.edu. <https://sccn.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/eeglablist    > If
> your
> > > *>* >> contribution is substantial, I'll offer you to be a coauthor.
> > Probably
> > > *>* we
> > > *>* >> will need as many strange results as possible...?
> > > *>* >>
> > > *>* >> Probably this is the first attempt to run an open experiment on
> > the
> > > *>* EEGLAB
> > > *>* >> mailing list--please join us and let's find out what happens!
> > > *>* >>
> > > *>* >> Makoto*
> > > _______________________________________________
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