Itinerant complexity in networks of intrinsically bursting neurons

Abstract

Active neurons can be broadly classified by their intrinsic oscillation patterns into two classes characterized by periodic spiking or periodic bursting. Here we show that networks of identical bursting neurons with inhibitory pulsatory coupling exhibit itinerant dynamics. Using the relative phases of bursts between neurons, we numerically demonstrate that the network exhibits endogenous transitions among multiple modes of transient synchrony. This is true even for bursts consisting of two spikes. In contrast, our simulations reveal that identical singlet-spiking neurons do not exhibit such complexity in the network. These results suggest a role for bursting dynamics in realizing itinerant complexity in neural circuits.