Synchronised firing induced by network dynamics in excitable systems

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that in excitable systems modeled by FitzHugh--Nagumo elements, collective firing can be induced by network dynamics rather than noise, especially on sparse evolving networks.

Contribution

It reveals that network rewiring frequency can induce synchronized firing in excitable systems, replacing the need for noise or dense connectivity.

Findings

Collective firing occurs at intermediate rewiring frequencies.

Network dynamics can substitute noise in inducing synchronization.

Sparse evolving networks facilitate self-organized collective behavior.

Abstract

We study the collective dynamics of an ensemble of coupled identical FitzHugh--Nagumo elements in their excitable regime. We show that collective firing, where all the elements perform their individual firing cycle synchronously, can be induced by random changes in the interaction pattern. Specifically, on a sparse evolving network where, at any time, each element is connected with at most one partner, collective firing occurs for intermediate values of the rewiring frequency. Thus, network dynamics can replace noise and connectivity in inducing this kind of self-organised behaviour in highly disconnected systems which, otherwise, wouldn't allow for the spreading of coherent evolution.