Generalized types of synchronization in networks of spiking neurons

Abstract

The synchronization of neural signals has been proposed as a temporal coding scheme in distributed cortical networks. Theoretical studies in that direction mainly focused on the synchronization of coupled oscillatory subsystems. In the present w ork we s h o w that several complex types of synchronization previously described for graded response neurons appear similarly also in biologically realistic networks of spiking and compartmental neurons. This includes synchronized complex spatio-temporal behavior, partial and generalized synchronization. The results suggest a similarly rich spatio-temporal behavior in real neural systems and may guide experimental research towards the study of complex modes of synchronization and their neuromodulation.

1. Introduction

“…The bursting oscillations represent a dynamical regime of the periodically repeated transition from a rest state to a state of fast, almost periodical oscillations. Nevertheless, as theoretical studies show, various types of complicated synchronized regimes that characterize networks of limit cycle oscillators (partial and generalized synchronization, rich va riety of complex spatio-temporal types of dynamics) are inherent also to networks of pulsed neurons [120]. The function (x, y) specifies the fast oscillatory process, whereas (x, y) describes a slow modulation of the fast oscillations.…”