Spontaneous formation of synchronization clusters in homogenous neuronal ensembles induced by noise and interaction delays

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the spontaneous formation of synchronization clusters in homogeneous neuronal ensembles caused by the interplay of noise, delays, and excitability, revealing new insights into neural synchronization mechanisms.

Contribution

It introduces the first demonstration of spontaneous cluster formation in structureless, homogenous neuronal ensembles influenced by noise and interaction delays.

Findings

Cluster formation depends on time-lag, noise intensity, and synaptic strength.

Synchronization clusters emerge without structural heterogeneity.

The effect results from interplay between delays, noise, and neuron excitability.

Abstract

Spontaneous formation of clusters of synchronized spiking in a structureless ensemble of equal stochastically perturbed excitable neurons with delayed coupling is demonstrated for the first time. The effect is a consequence of a subtle interplay between interaction delays, noise and the excitable character of a single neuron. Dependence of the cluster properties on the time-lag, noise intensity and the synaptic strength is investigated.