99 research outputs found
Synchronization in model networks of class I neurons
We study a modification of the Hoppensteadt-Izhikevich canonical model for networks of class I neurons, in which the 'pulse' emitted by a neuron is smooth rather than a delta-function. We prove two types of results about synchronization and desynchronization of such networks, the first type pertaining to 'pulse' functions which are symmetric, and the other type in the regime in which each neuron is connected to many other neurons
Synchronization and oscillatory dynamics in heterogeneous mutually inhibited neurons
We study some mechanisms responsible for synchronous oscillations and loss of
synchrony at physiologically relevant frequencies (10-200 Hz) in a network of
heterogeneous inhibitory neurons. We focus on the factors that determine the
level of synchrony and frequency of the network response, as well as the
effects of mild heterogeneity on network dynamics. With mild heterogeneity,
synchrony is never perfect and is relatively fragile. In addition, the effects
of inhibition are more complex in mildly heterogeneous networks than in
homogeneous ones. In the former, synchrony is broken in two distinct ways,
depending on the ratio of the synaptic decay time to the period of repetitive
action potentials (), where can be determined either from the
network or from a single, self-inhibiting neuron. With ,
corresponding to large applied current, small synaptic strength or large
synaptic decay time, the effects of inhibition are largely tonic and
heterogeneous neurons spike relatively independently. With ,
synchrony breaks when faster cells begin to suppress their less excitable
neighbors; cells that fire remain nearly synchronous. We show numerically that
the behavior of mildly heterogeneous networks can be related to the behavior of
single, self-inhibiting cells, which can be studied analytically.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, Kluwer.sty. Journal of Compuational Neuroscience
(in press). Originally submitted to the neuro-sys archive which was never
publicly announced (was 9802001
A comparison of methods to determine neuronal phase-response curves
The phase-response curve (PRC) is an important tool to determine the
excitability type of single neurons which reveals consequences for their
synchronizing properties. We review five methods to compute the PRC from both
model data and experimental data and compare the numerically obtained results
from each method. The main difference between the methods lies in the
reliability which is influenced by the fluctuations in the spiking data and the
number of spikes available for analysis. We discuss the significance of our
results and provide guidelines to choose the best method based on the available
data.Comment: PDFLatex, 16 pages, 7 figures
Statistical-Mechanical Measure of Stochastic Spiking Coherence in A Population of Inhibitory Subthreshold Neurons
By varying the noise intensity, we study stochastic spiking coherence (i.e.,
collective coherence between noise-induced neural spikings) in an inhibitory
population of subthreshold neurons (which cannot fire spontaneously without
noise). This stochastic spiking coherence may be well visualized in the raster
plot of neural spikes. For a coherent case, partially-occupied "stripes"
(composed of spikes and indicating collective coherence) are formed in the
raster plot. This partial occupation occurs due to "stochastic spike skipping"
which is well shown in the multi-peaked interspike interval histogram. The main
purpose of our work is to quantitatively measure the degree of stochastic
spiking coherence seen in the raster plot. We introduce a new spike-based
coherence measure by considering the occupation pattern and the pacing
pattern of spikes in the stripes. In particular, the pacing degree between
spikes is determined in a statistical-mechanical way by quantifying the average
contribution of (microscopic) individual spikes to the (macroscopic)
ensemble-averaged global potential. This "statistical-mechanical" measure
is in contrast to the conventional measures such as the "thermodynamic" order
parameter (which concerns the time-averaged fluctuations of the macroscopic
global potential), the "microscopic" correlation-based measure (based on the
cross-correlation between the microscopic individual potentials), and the
measures of precise spike timing (based on the peri-stimulus time histogram).
In terms of , we quantitatively characterize the stochastic spiking
coherence, and find that reflects the degree of collective spiking
coherence seen in the raster plot very well. Hence, the
"statistical-mechanical" spike-based measure may be used usefully to
quantify the degree of stochastic spiking coherence in a statistical-mechanical
way.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the J. Comput. Neurosc
Frequency control in synchronized networks of inhibitory neurons
We analyze the control of frequency for a synchronized inhibitory neuronal
network. The analysis is done for a reduced membrane model with a
biophysically-based synaptic influence. We argue that such a reduced model can
quantitatively capture the frequency behavior of a larger class of neuronal
models. We show that in different parameter regimes, the network frequency
depends in different ways on the intrinsic and synaptic time constants. Only in
one portion of the parameter space, called `phasic', is the network period
proportional to the synaptic decay time. These results are discussed in
connection with previous work of the authors, which showed that for mildly
heterogeneous networks, the synchrony breaks down, but coherence is preserved
much more for systems in the phasic regime than in the other regimes. These
results imply that for mildly heterogeneous networks, the existence of a
coherent rhythm implies a linear dependence of the network period on synaptic
decay time, and a much weaker dependence on the drive to the cells. We give
experimental evidence for this conclusion.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, Kluwer.sty. J. Comp. Neurosci. (in press).
Originally submitted to the neuro-sys archive which was never publicly
announced (was 9803001
Inferring the phase response curve from observation of a continuously perturbed oscillator
Phase response curves are important for analysis and modeling of oscillatory
dynamics in various applications, particularly in neuroscience. Standard
experimental technique for determining them requires isolation of the system
and application of a specifically designed input. However, isolation is not
always feasible and we are compelled to observe the system in its natural
environment under free-running conditions. To that end we propose an approach
relying only on passive observations of the system and its input. We illustrate
it with simulation results of an oscillator driven by a stochastic force.Comment: 11 pages (+6 supplementary), 7 figures (+8 supplementary
Higher order approximation of isochrons
Phase reduction is a commonly used techinque for analyzing stable
oscillators, particularly in studies concerning synchronization and phase lock
of a network of oscillators. In a widely used numerical approach for obtaining
phase reduction of a single oscillator, one needs to obtain the gradient of the
phase function, which essentially provides a linear approximation of isochrons.
In this paper, we extend the method for obtaining partial derivatives of the
phase function to arbitrary order, providing higher order approximations of
isochrons. In particular, our method in order 2 can be applied to the study of
dynamics of a stable oscillator subjected to stochastic perturbations, a topic
that will be discussed in a future paper. We use the Stuart-Landau oscillator
to illustrate the method in order 2
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