Dynamics of attractor transitions in Boolean networks under noise

Abstract

Biological systems operate under persistent noise, which can alter system states and induce transitions between attractors. Here, we study the attractor dynamics of Boolean networks focusing on the transitions between attractors induced by noise. By computing transition probabilities between attractors, we present methods at the attractor level to determine dominance, stability, and diversity of attractors, and systematically compare local and global noise. Whereas global noise leads to attractor behavior dictated primarily by basin sizes, local noise produces structured transition patterns characterized by enhanced stability, non-trivial dominance patterns, and broader exploration of the attractor space. Our work offers insight into the dynamics of attractors, showing the importance of transition patterns under noise.