Efficient synchronization of structurally adaptive coupled Hindmarsh-Rose neurons

TL;DR

This paper investigates how adaptive mechanisms in coupled neurons can achieve energy-efficient synchronization, reducing energy costs in non-identical neuron pairs by adjusting biological parameters.

Contribution

It introduces a method for achieving low-energy synchronization in non-identical coupled neurons through adaptive parameter adjustments.

Findings

Energy consumption decreases with adaptive parameter tuning.

Synchronization can be maintained at low energy cost in non-identical neurons.

Adaptive mechanisms facilitate efficient neural communication.

Abstract

The use of spikes to carry information between brain areas implies complete or partial synchronization of the neurons involved. The degree of synchronization reached by two coupled systems and the energy cost of maintaining their synchronized behaviour is highly dependent on the nature of the systems. For non-identical systems the maintenance of a synchronized regime is energetically a costly process. In this work, we study conditions under which two non-identical electrically coupled neurons can reach an efficient regime of synchronization at low energy cost. We show that the energy consumption required to keep the synchronized regime can be spontaneously reduced if the receiving neuron has adaptive mechanisms able to bring its biological parameters closer in value to the corresponding ones in the sending neuron.