arXiv subjects

Hengtong Wang

Publications and source records attributed to Hengtong Wang.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2016

Spike-Threshold Variability Originated from Separatrix-Crossing in Neuronal Dynamics

The threshold voltage for action potential generation is a key regulator of neuronal signal transduction, yet the mechanism of its dynamic variation is still not well described. In this paper, we propose that threshold phenomena can be classified as parameter thresholds and state thresholds. Voltage thresholds which belong to the state threshold are determined by the `general separatrix' in state space. We demonstrate that the separatrix generally exists in the state space of neuron models. The general form of separatrix was assumed as the function of both states and stimuli and the previously assumed threshold evolving equation versus time is naturally deduced from the separatrix. In terms of neuron dynamics, the threshold voltage variation, which is affected by different stimuli, is determined by crossing the separatrix at different points in state space. We suggest that the separatrix-crossing mechanism in state space is the intrinsic dynamic mechanism for threshold voltages and post-stimulus threshold phenomena. These proposals are also systematically verified in example models, three of which have analytic separatrices and one is the classic Hodgkin-Huxley model. The separatrix-crossing framework provides an overview of the neuronal threshold and will facilitate understanding of the nature of threshold variability.

q-bio.NC↗

arXiv2016

Evoking complex neuronal networks by stimulating a single neuron

The dynamical responses of complex neuronal networks to external stimulus injected on a \emph{single} neuron are investigated. Stimulating the largest-degree neuron in the network, it is found that as the intensity of the stimulus increases, the network will be transiting from the resting to firing states and then restoring to the resting state, showing a bounded firing region in the parameter space. Furthermore, it is found that as the coupling strength decreases, the firing region is gradually expanded and, at the weak couplings, separated into disconnected subregions. By a simplified network model, we conduct a detail analysis on the bifurcation diagram of the network dynamics in the two-dimensional parameter space spanned by stimulating intensity and coupling strength, and, by introducing a new coefficient named effective stimulus, explore the mechanisms of the modified firing region. It is revealed that the coupling strength and stimulating intensity are equally important in evoking the network, but with different mechanisms. Specifically, the effective stimuli are \emph{shifted up} globally with the increase of the stimulating intensity, while are \emph{drawn closer} with the increase of the coupling strength. The dynamical responses of small-world and random complex networks to external stimulus injected on the largest-degree neuron are also investigated, which confirm the generality of the observed phenomena.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2015

Firing dynamics of an autaptic neuron

Autapses are synapses that connect a neuron to itself in the nervous system. Previously, both experimental and theoretical studies have demonstrated that autaptic connections in the nervous system have a significant physiological function. Autapses in nature provide self-delayed feedback, thus introducing an additional time scale to neuronal activities and causing many dynamic behaviors in neurons. Recently, theoretical studies have revealed that an autapse provides a control option for adjusting the response of a neuron: e.g., an autaptic connection can cause the electrical activities of the Hindmarsh-Rose neuron to switch between quiescent, periodic, and chaotic firing patterns; an autapse can enhance or suppress the mode-locking status of a neuron injected with sinusoidal current; and the firing frequency and interspike interval distributions of the response spike train can also be modified by the autapse. In this paper, we review recent studies that showed how an autapse affects the response of a single neuron.

q-bio.NC↗