ANTICIPATED SYNCHRONIZATION IN NEURONAL CIRCUITS

Matias, F. S.
PhD Thesis (2014)

Anticipated Synchronization (AS) is a form of synchronization that occurs when a unidirectional
influence is transmitted from an emitter to a receiver, but the receiver system leads the
emitter in time. This counterintuitive phenomenon can be a stable solution of two dynamical
systems coupled in a master-slave configuration when the slave is subject to a negative delayed
self-feedback. Many examples of AS dynamics have been found in different systems, however,
theoretical and experimental evidence for it in the brain has been lacking. In this thesis work
we investigate the existence of AS in neuronal circuits when the delayed feedback is replaced
by an inhibitory loop mediated by chemical synapses. At the neuronal level, we show the existence
of AS in 3-neuron or 3-neuron-populations microcircuits, where the self-feedback is
provided either by an interneuron or by a subpopulation of inhibitory neurons. A smooth transition
from delayed synchronization (DS) to AS typically occurs when the inhibitory synaptic
conductance is increased. The phenomenon is shown to be robust for a wide range of model
parameters within a physiological range. The role of spike-timing-dependent plasticity in DSAS
transitions is also investigated. The results obtained from the model are compared with
those obtained experimentally in monkeys performing certain cognitive tasks. In some cases
a dominant directional influence from one cortical area to another is accompanied by either a
negative or a positive time delay. We present a model for AS between two brain regions and
compare its results to the experimental data, obtaining an excellent agreement.


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