The 1/f-like behavior of neural field spectra are a natural consequence of noise driven brain dynamics.

Consistent observations across recording modalities, experiments, and neural systems find neural field spectra with 1/f-like scaling, eliciting many alternative theories to explain this universal phenomenon. We propose a general dynamical system with stochastic drive and minimal assumptions to show how correlated and uncorrelated noise generate 1/f-like spectra consistent with in vivo observations, without requiring a specific biological mechanism or collective critical behavior.