Li, G.; Li, S.; Wang, X.-J.

A hierarchy of timescales in the cortex is functionally desirable for rapid information processing in sensory areas and slow time integration in association areas. Here, through an analysis of electrocorticography (ECoG) data, we identified a timescale hierarchy in the cortex of marmoset, a primate species commonly used in neuroscience. Constrained by the anatomical and electrophysiological data, we developed a multi-regional model of the marmoset cortex that captures the observed timescale hierarchy phenomenon. Furthermore, we used the model to investigate how the cortex reconciles information integration on distinct timescales in local areas with reliable signal propagation globally across regions. We found that a near-criticality state is optimal for both localized signal integration within areas and reliable signal propagation across areas in the multi-regional cortex. Our model also mechanically explains recent experimental observations that the structural and functional connectivities are less correlated in association areas than in sensory areas.