Ubiquity of collective irregular dynamics in balanced networks of spiking neurons

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that balanced networks of spiking neurons exhibit persistent collective irregular dynamics in the thermodynamic limit, especially under inhibitory dominance, across various neuron models and parameters.

Contribution

It reveals that collective irregular dynamics are ubiquitous in balanced neural networks with massive coupling, challenging the assumption of asynchronous activity.

Findings

Irregular collective dynamics persist in the thermodynamic limit.

Inhibition dominance leads to self-sustained irregular activity.

The phenomenon is robust across different neuron models and parameters.

Abstract

We revisit the dynamics of a prototypical model of balanced activity in networks of spiking neutrons. A detailed investigation of the thermodynamic limit for fixed density of connections (massive coupling) shows that, when inhibition prevails, the asymptotic regime is not asynchronous but rather characterized by a self-sustained irregular, macroscopic (collective) dynamics. So long as the connectivity is massive, this regime is found in many different setups: leaky as well as quadratic integrate-and-fire neurons; large and small coupling strength; weak and strong external currents.