Global synchronization of bursting neurons in clustered networks

TL;DR

This paper studies how bursting neurons synchronize across clustered networks, revealing how network structure and connection probabilities influence the onset and nature of global synchronization.

Contribution

It provides bounds for critical coupling strength for global burst synchronization based on network structure and explores how heterogeneity affects synchronization.

Findings

Synchronization improves as network heterogeneity decreases.

Transitions to synchronization can be abrupt or smooth depending on intercluster connections.

Critical coupling bounds depend on intracluster and intercluster connection probabilities.

Abstract

We investigate the collective dynamics of bursting neurons on clustered network. The clustered network is composed of subnetworks each presenting a small-world property, and in a given subnetwork each neuron has a probability to be connected to the other subnetworks. We give bounds for the critical coupling strength to obtain global burst synchronization in terms of the network structure, i.e., intracluster and intercluster probabilities connections. As the heterogeneity in the network is reduced the network global synchronization is improved. We show that the transitions to global synchrony may be abrupt or smooth depending on the intercluster probability.