Experimental characterization of the dynamics in a network of chaotic FitzHugh-Nagumo neurons
Year: 2014
Authors: Ciszak M., Arecchi F.T., Euzzor S., Meucci R.
Autors Affiliation: Istituto Nazionale di Ottica-CNR, Florence, Italy; Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Firenze, Firenze, Italy
Abstract: When FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) driven oscillators are coupled, their dynamics tend to be synchronized. We show that the chaotically spiking neurons change their internal dynamics to subthreshold oscillations, the phenomenon referred to as firing death. These dynamical changes are observed below the critical coupling strength at which the transition to full chaotic synchronization occurs. Moreover, we find various dynamical regimes in the subthreshold oscillations, namely, regular, quasiperiodic, and chaotic states. We show numerically that these dynamical states may coexist with large-amplitude spiking regimes and that this coexistence is characterized by riddled basins of attraction. The reported results are obtained for neurons implemented in the electronic circuits as well as for the model equations. Finally, we comment on the possible scenarios where the coupling-induced firing death could play an important role in biological systems.
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KeyWords: Chaotic systems; Dynamics; Neural networks; Neurons; Synchronization, Chaotic network; Chaotic synchronization; Critical coupling; Dynamical regime; Experimental characterization; Fitzhugh Nagumo neurons; Internal dynamics; Subthreshold oscillations, Complex networks