672 research outputs found
Existence of periodic solutions of the FitzHugh-Nagumo equations for an explicit range of the small parameter
The FitzHugh-Nagumo model describing propagation of nerve impulses in axon is
given by fast-slow reaction-diffusion equations, with dependence on a parameter
representing the ratio of time scales. It is well known that for all
sufficiently small the system possesses a periodic traveling wave.
With aid of computer-assisted rigorous computations, we prove the existence of
this periodic orbit in the traveling wave equation for an explicit range
. Our approach is based on a novel method of
combination of topological techniques of covering relations and isolating
segments, for which we provide a self-contained theory. We show that the range
of existence is wide enough, so the upper bound can be reached by standard
validated continuation procedures. In particular, for the range we perform a rigorous continuation based on
covering relations and not specifically tailored to the fast-slow setting.
Moreover, we confirm that for the classical interval
Newton-Moore method applied to a sequence of Poincar\'e maps already succeeds.
Techniques described in this paper can be adapted to other fast-slow systems of
similar structure
Asymptotics of conduction velocity restitution in models of electrical excitation in the heart
We extend a non-Tikhonov asymptotic embedding, proposed earlier, for calculation of conduction velocity restitution curves in ionic models of cardiac excitability. Conduction velocity restitution is the simplest non-trivial spatially extended problem in excitable media, and in the case of cardiac tissue it is an important tool for prediction of cardiac arrhythmias and fibrillation. An idealized conduction velocity restitution curve requires solving a non-linear eigenvalue problem with periodic boundary conditions, which in the cardiac case is very stiff and calls for the use of asymptotic methods. We compare asymptotics of restitution curves in four examples, two generic excitable media models, and two ionic cardiac models. The generic models include the classical FitzHugh–Nagumo model and its variation by Barkley. They are treated with standard singular perturbation techniques. The ionic models include a simplified “caricature” of Noble (J. Physiol. Lond. 160:317–352, 1962) model and Beeler and Reuter (J. Physiol. Lond. 268:177–210, 1977) model, which lead to non-Tikhonov problems where known asymptotic results do not apply. The Caricature Noble model is considered with particular care to demonstrate the well-posedness of the corresponding boundary-value problem. The developed method for calculation of conduction velocity restitution is then applied to the Beeler–Reuter model. We discuss new mathematical features appearing in cardiac ionic models and possible applications of the developed method
Fast-slow asymptotic for semi-analytical ignition criteria in FitzHugh-Nagumo system
We study the problem of initiation of excitation waves in the FitzHugh-Nagumo
model. Our approach follows earlier works and is based on the idea of
approximating the boundary between basins of attraction of propagating waves
and of the resting state as the stable manifold of a critical solution. Here,
we obtain analytical expressions for the essential ingredients of the theory by
singular perturbation using two small parameters, the separation of time scales
of the activator and inhibitor, and the threshold in the activator's kinetics.
This results in a closed analytical expression for the strength-duration curve.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, as accepted to Chaos on 2017/06/2
Dynamics of FitzHugh-Nagumo excitable systems with delayed coupling
Small lattices of nearest neighbor coupled excitable FitzHugh-Nagumo
systems, with time-delayed coupling are studied, and compared with systems of
FitzHugh-Nagumo oscillators with the same delayed coupling. Bifurcations of
equilibria in N=2 case are studied analytically, and it is then numerically
confirmed that the same bifurcations are relevant for the dynamics in the case
. Bifurcations found include inverse and direct Hopf and fold limit cycle
bifurcations. Typical dynamics for different small time-lags and coupling
intensities could be excitable with a single globally stable equilibrium,
asymptotic oscillatory with symmetric limit cycle, bi-stable with stable
equilibrium and a symmetric limit cycle, and again coherent oscillatory but
non-symmetric and phase-shifted. For an intermediate range of time-lags inverse
sub-critical Hopf and fold limit cycle bifurcations lead to the phenomenon of
oscillator death. The phenomenon does not occur in the case of FitzHugh-Nagumo
oscillators with the same type of coupling.Comment: accepted by Phys.Rev.
Noise-induced synchronization and anti-resonance in excitable systems; Implications for information processing in Parkinson's Disease and Deep Brain Stimulation
We study the statistical physics of a surprising phenomenon arising in large
networks of excitable elements in response to noise: while at low noise,
solutions remain in the vicinity of the resting state and large-noise solutions
show asynchronous activity, the network displays orderly, perfectly
synchronized periodic responses at intermediate level of noise. We show that
this phenomenon is fundamentally stochastic and collective in nature. Indeed,
for noise and coupling within specific ranges, an asymmetry in the transition
rates between a resting and an excited regime progressively builds up, leading
to an increase in the fraction of excited neurons eventually triggering a chain
reaction associated with a macroscopic synchronized excursion and a collective
return to rest where this process starts afresh, thus yielding the observed
periodic synchronized oscillations. We further uncover a novel anti-resonance
phenomenon: noise-induced synchronized oscillations disappear when the system
is driven by periodic stimulation with frequency within a specific range. In
that anti-resonance regime, the system is optimal for measures of information
capacity. This observation provides a new hypothesis accounting for the
efficiency of Deep Brain Stimulation therapies in Parkinson's disease, a
neurodegenerative disease characterized by an increased synchronization of
brain motor circuits. We further discuss the universality of these phenomena in
the class of stochastic networks of excitable elements with confining coupling,
and illustrate this universality by analyzing various classical models of
neuronal networks. Altogether, these results uncover some universal mechanisms
supporting a regularizing impact of noise in excitable systems, reveal a novel
anti-resonance phenomenon in these systems, and propose a new hypothesis for
the efficiency of high-frequency stimulation in Parkinson's disease
Macroscopic equations governing noisy spiking neuronal populations
At functional scales, cortical behavior results from the complex interplay of
a large number of excitable cells operating in noisy environments. Such systems
resist to mathematical analysis, and computational neurosciences have largely
relied on heuristic partial (and partially justified) macroscopic models, which
successfully reproduced a number of relevant phenomena. The relationship
between these macroscopic models and the spiking noisy dynamics of the
underlying cells has since then been a great endeavor. Based on recent
mean-field reductions for such spiking neurons, we present here {a principled
reduction of large biologically plausible neuronal networks to firing-rate
models, providing a rigorous} relationship between the macroscopic activity of
populations of spiking neurons and popular macroscopic models, under a few
assumptions (mainly linearity of the synapses). {The reduced model we derive
consists of simple, low-dimensional ordinary differential equations with}
parameters and {nonlinearities derived from} the underlying properties of the
cells, and in particular the noise level. {These simple reduced models are
shown to reproduce accurately the dynamics of large networks in numerical
simulations}. Appropriate parameters and functions are made available {online}
for different models of neurons: McKean, Fitzhugh-Nagumo and Hodgkin-Huxley
models
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