Stochastic resonance: The role of potential asymmetry and non Gaussian noises

Within the two state theory (TST) for stochastic resonance (SR) we analize two different aspects: (a) the extension of the TST in order to include pot ential asymmetry (i.e.: the states show different stabilities): (b) the eva luation of transition rates for systems whose stationary distribution is no n Gaussian. We apply the results of (a) to study the role of the potential symmetry for SR in bistable systems, observing that the signal-to-noise rat io increases with the symmetry of the potential of the system indicating th at it is this feature that, governs the optimization of the response, We ap ply the results of (b) to discuss SR in situations where we call assume tha t the noise is non Gaussian, and discuss its relation with experimental res ults in sensory systems.