V-128 | The role of intrinsic neuronal properties in the synchronization of weakly-coupled neural networks

Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience
Author: Ines Samengo | Email: ines.samengo@gmail.com

Ines Samengo^1°2°3°, Bautista Arenaza^1°2°3°

^1° Department of Medical Physics, Centro Atómico Bariloche
^2° Instituto Balseiro, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo
^3° Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

Weakly coupled neurons may or may not tend to synchronize. The factors determining this tendency include intrinsic neuronal properties and the connectivity pattern of the network. The intrinsic neuronal properties represent a vast set of parameters that govern single-neuron dynamics. Remarkably, in the limit of weak coupling, all these parameters can be encapsulated in the phase-resetting curve, which describes how the timing of the next spike is advanced or delayed based on the timing of a small and brief synaptic input. Depending on whether a neuron integrates its inputs or resonates with a specific input frequency, phase-resetting curves exhibit different functional shapes. Here, we present a theoretical framework that reveals how the shape of phase-resetting curves influences the synchrony of spiking neurons under various connectivity patterns. We demonstrate that the key factors are (a) the sign, (b) the symmetry, and (c) the magnitude of the derivative of the phase-resetting curve.