Transition to synchronization in heterogeneous inhibitory neural networks with structured synapses

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Computational Neuroscience
• Systems Neuroscience

Background:

• Inhibitory neurons are crucial for generating brain rhythms in the cerebral cortex.
• The transition from incoherent to synchronized neuronal firing is a key process in understanding neuronal rhythms.
• Abrupt changes in synchronized activity are observed in cognitive tasks and neurological disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if synaptic connectivity patterns can drive a first-order-like transition towards neuronal synchronization.
• To develop an adaptive mechanism for generating networks exhibiting explosive synchronization.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of effective synaptic connectivity patterns in neuronal networks.
• Modeling of network dynamics to observe transitions between incoherent and synchronized states.
• Development of an adaptive mechanism based on real-time firing statistics.

Main Results:

• Specific synaptic connectivity patterns can indeed support an 'explosive' transition to synchronized firing.
• The adaptive mechanism successfully generated networks exhibiting this rapid synchronization phenomenon.
• The network structure was rapidly created based on ongoing firing statistics.

Conclusions:

• Effective synaptic connectivity plays a critical role in facilitating abrupt transitions to synchronized neuronal activity.
• The developed adaptive mechanism offers a novel approach to generating networks with explosive synchronization properties.
• This work provides insights into the neural basis of brain rhythms and their potential dysregulation in disorders.