  Experiments in the human brain reveal switching between different activity
patterns and functional network organization over time. Recently, multilayer
modeling has been employed across multiple neurobiological levels (from spiking
networks to brain regions) to unveil novel insights into the emergence and time
evolution of synchrony patterns. We consider two layers with the top layer
directly coupled to the bottom layer. When isolated, the bottom layer would
remain in a specific stable pattern. However, in the presence of the top layer,
the network exhibits spatiotemporal switching. The top layer in combination
with the inter-layer coupling acts as a symmetry breaker, governing the bottom
layer and restricting the number of allowed symmetry-induced patterns. This
structure allows us to demonstrate the existence and stability of pattern
states on the bottom layer, but most remarkably, it enables a simple mechanism
for switching between patterns based on the unique symmetry-breaking role of
the governing layer. We demonstrate that the symmetry breaker prevents complete
synchronization in the bottom layer, a situation that would not be desirable in
a normal functioning brain. We illustrate our findings using two layers of
Hindmarsh-Rose (HR) oscillators, employing the Master Stability function
approach in small networks to investigate the switching between patterns.
