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Synchronization of delayed coupled neurons with multiple synaptic connections

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Abstract

Synchronization is a key feature of the brain dynamics and is necessary for information transmission across brain regions and in higher brain functions like cognition, learning and memory. Experimental findings demonstrated that in cortical microcircuits there are multiple synapses between pairs of connected neurons. Synchronization of neurons in the presence of multiple synaptic connections may be relevant for optimal learning and memory, however, its effect on the dynamics of the neurons is not adequately studied. Here, we address the question that how changes in the strength of the synaptic connections and transmission delays between neurons impact synchronization in a two-neuron system with multiple synapses. To this end, we analytically and computationally investigated synchronization dynamics by considering both phase oscillator model and conductance-based Hodgkin–Huxley (HH) model. Our results show that symmetry/asymmetry of feedforward and feedback connections crucially determines stability of the phase locking of the system based on the strength of connections and delays. In both models, the two-neuron system with multiple synapses achieves in-phase synchrony in the presence of small and large delays, whereas an anti-phase synchronization state is favored for median delays. Our findings can expand the understanding of the functional role of multisynaptic contacts in neuronal synchronization and may shed light on the dynamical consequences of pathological multisynaptic connectivity in a number of brain disorders.

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Funding

No specific funding was received for conducting this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

    Masoumeh Shavikloo & Asghar Esmaeili

  2. Department of Physics, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS), Zanjan, Iran

    Alireza Valizadeh

  3. School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran

    Mojtaba Madadi Asl

  4. Pasargad Institute for Advanced Innovative Solutions (PIAIS), Tehran, Iran

    Alireza Valizadeh & Mojtaba Madadi Asl

Authors
  1. Masoumeh Shavikloo
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  2. Asghar Esmaeili
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  3. Alireza Valizadeh
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  4. Mojtaba Madadi Asl
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Contributions

MS: Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Visualization. AE: Methodology, Formal analysis. AV: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Writing-review & editing, Supervision. MMA: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Visualization, Writing-original draft, Writing-review & editing, Project administration.

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Correspondence to Masoumeh Shavikloo.

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Shavikloo, M., Esmaeili, A., Valizadeh, A. et al. Synchronization of delayed coupled neurons with multiple synaptic connections. Cogn Neurodyn 18, 631–643 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11571-023-10013-9

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