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

BACKGROUND: 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. FINDINGS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: 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.