Asynchronous response of coupled pacemaker neurons

TL;DR

This paper investigates how shared inhibitory input affects synchronization in coupled pacemaker neurons, revealing mechanisms of desynchronization that depend on coupling strength and input timing, with implications for neural network dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a model analyzing the effects of shared inhibitory input on synchronization in coupled pacemaker neurons, highlighting mechanisms of desynchronization.

Findings

Shared input can desynchronize spike pairs in coupled neurons.

Synchronization depends on coupling strength and input timing.

Desynchronization mechanisms are observed in large heterogeneous networks.

Abstract

We study a network model of two conductance-based pacemaker neurons of differing natural frequency, coupled with either mutual excitation or inhibition, and receiving shared random inhibitory synaptic input. The networks may phase-lock spike-to-spike for strong mutual coupling. But the shared input can desynchronize the locked spike-pairs by selectively eliminating the lagging spike or modulating its timing with respect to the leading spike depending on their separation time window. Such loss of synchrony is also found in a large network of sparsely coupled heterogeneous spiking neurons receiving shared input.