Asymmetry Factors Shaping Regular and Irregular Bursting Rhythms in Central Pattern Generators

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Computational Neuroscience
• Systems Neuroscience

Background:

• Central Pattern Generators (CPGs) produce rhythmic motor patterns using neural networks.
• CPGs often comprise half-center oscillators with reciprocal inhibition.
• Neuron spiking-bursting dynamics are key for CPG robustness and flexibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate how asymmetry in synaptic parameters influences CPG bursting rhythms.
• Assess the impact of asymmetric maximal synaptic conductances, time constants, and gap-junctions on CPG regularity.
• Map the parameter space for regular and irregular bursting activity in half-center oscillator CPGs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized conductance-based models of neural networks.
• Employed connection topologies inspired by the crustacean pyloric CPG.
• Analyzed synaptic parameter space to characterize bursting activity.

Main Results:

• Asymmetric configurations promote robust regular rhythms in CPGs.
• Significant regions of regular and irregular coordinated rhythms exist based on asymmetry.
• Asymmetry in conductances and temporal dynamics synergistically shapes regular spiking-bursting activity.

Conclusions:

• Asymmetric neural configurations are vital for generating regular and flexible CPG rhythms.
• The study identifies parameter regions leading to diverse bursting activities.
• A closed-loop protocol can efficiently identify regular CPG regimes for experimental relevance.