Fluctuating excitability: A mechanism for self-sustained information flow in excitable arrays

Matjaž Perc

Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, 2007, vol. 32, issue 3, 1118-1124

Abstract: We show that the fluctuating excitability of FitzHugh–Nagumo neurons, constituting a diffusively coupled excitable array, can induce phase slips that lead to a symmetry break yielding a preferred spreading direction of excitatory events, thus enabling persistent self-sustained and self-organized information flow in a periodic array long after a localized stimulus perturbation has sized. Possible oscillation frequencies of the information-carrying signal are expressed analytically, and necessary conditions for the phenomenon are derived. Our results suggest that cellular diversity in neural tissue is crucial for maintaining self-sustained and organized activity in the brain even in the absence of immediate stimuli, thus facilitating continuous evolution of its mechanisms for information retrieval and storage.

Date: 2007
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:chsofr:v:32:y:2007:i:3:p:1118-1124

DOI: 10.1016/j.chaos.2005.11.035

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