Marginal chimera state at cross-frequency locking of pulse-coupled neural networks

TL;DR

This paper investigates a novel marginal chimera state in coupled neural networks, where partial synchronization occurs amid incommensurate and locked mean field frequencies, explained through a self-organized neutral dynamics model.

Contribution

It introduces a new type of marginal chimera state in pulse-coupled neural networks and explains its emergence via a self-organized neutral dynamics mechanism.

Findings

Identification of a 2:1 frequency locking state in neural populations

Observation of partial synchronization forming a chimera state

Explanation of the chimera as a marginal state caused by neutral dynamics

Abstract

We consider two coupled populations of leaky integrate-and-fire neurons. Depending on the coupling strength, mean fields generated by these populations can have incommensurate frequencies, or become frequency locked. In the observed 2:1 locking state of the mean fields, individual neurons in one population are asynchronous with the mean fields, while in another populations they have the same frequency as the mean field. These synchronous neurons form a chimera state, where part of them build a fully synchronized cluster, while other remain scattered. We explain this chimera as a marginal one, caused by a self-organized neutral dynamics of the effective circle map.