Chimera states induced by spike timing-dependent plasticity in a regular neuronal network

Abstract

Chimera states are spatiotemporal patterns in which distinct dynamics coexist, such as synchronous and asynchronous patterns. In this work, we study the effect of spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) on the emergence of chimera states. We consider a regular network of coupled adaptive exponential integrate-and-fire neurons, where all connections initially have the same strength value. The STDP alters the strength value as a function of the timing between the pre and postsynaptic action potentials over time. We verify that the range of parameters displaying chimera states is larger in the network with plasticity than in the absence of plasticity. Our simulations show that the chimera lifetime increases when the plasticity actuates in the neuronal network. We also observe an increase in neuronal spike frequency when the neurons are submitted to a constant positive current. In the parameter space, the changes in synaptic weights increase the appearance of chimera states.