The diffusion of perturbations in a model of coupled random boolean networks

Abstract

Deciphering the influence of the interaction among the constituents of a complex system on the overall behaviour is one of the main goals of complex systems science. The model we present in this work is a 2D square cellular automaton whose of each cell is occupied by a complete random Boolean network. Random Boolean networks are a well-known simplified model of genetic regulatory networks and this model of interacting RBNs may be therefore regarded as a simplified model of a tissue or a monoclonal colony. The mechanism of cell-to-cell interaction is here simulated letting some nodes of a particular network being influenced by the state of some nodes belonging to its neighbouring cells. One possible means to investigate the overall dynamics of a complex system is studying its response to perturbations. Our analyses follow this methodological approach. Even though the dynamics of the system is far from trivial we could show in a clear way how the interaction affects the dynamics and the global degree of order. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.