Bifurcation of synchronization phenomena observed in a coupled neuron model for circadian clock rhythms

摘要

We investigate synchronization of average firing rates observed in a model of two Morris-Lecar neurons, which are coupled each other through the gap-junction and the a-function, and forced by a couple of periodic sinusoidal inputs with different frequencies. The dynamical system is considered as a mathematical model of cir-cadian clock rhythms, which come from physiological experiments in suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) cells. Our objective of the analysis is to answer the question: 'How does synchronization of firing rates generate in the meaning of short-time average?' We illustrate that the bifurcation analysis is useful for clarifying the synchronization mechanism.