Periodic and synchronic firing in an ensemble of identical stochastic units: Structural stability

Abstract

A model build with an ensemble of identical, noisy, integrateand- fire oscillators with messages interchange has been studied to find out regimes in which the collective behavior is stable at mesoscopic level. We have found for our model a range in the strength of messages for which the system settles into a periodic synchronic behavior that only depends on structural parameters: the number of units in the ensemble and the time taken by the message to arrive from the sender to the receiving unit. This type of periodic and synchronic firing pattern could be relevant for information processing since it is independent of the detailed dynamics of units making up the ensemble. The periodic pattern is driven by passing messages and it remains stable even under severe noise affecting the evolution of isolated units.