Paper Info
Title
Travelling wave patterns in a model of the spinal pattern generator using spiking neurons
Abstract
The aim of this study is to produce travelling waves in a planar net of artificial spiking neurons. Provided that the parameters of the waves --- frequency, wavelength and orientation --- can be sufficiently controlled, such a network can serve as a model of the spinal pattern generator for swimming and terrestrial quadruped locomotion. A previous implementation using non-spiking, sigmoid neurons lacked the physiological plausibility that can only be attained using more realistic spiking neurons. Simulations were conducted using three types of spiking neuronal models. First, leaky integrate-and-fire neurons were used. Second, we introduced a phenomenological bursting neuron. And third, a canonical model neuron was implemented which could reproduce the full dynamics of the Hodgkin---Huxley neuron. The conditions necessary to produce appropriate travelling waves corresponded largely to the known anatomy and physiology of the spinal cord. Especially important features for the generation of travelling waves were the topology of the local connections --- so-called off-centre connectivity --- the availability of dynamic synapses and, to some extent, the availability of bursting cell types. The latter were necessary to produce stable waves at the low frequencies observed in quadruped locomotion. In general, the phenomenon of travelling waves was very robust and largely independent of the network parameters and emulated cell types.
Year
DOI
Venue
2005
10.1007/s00422-005-0540-8
Biological Cybernetics
Keywords
Field
DocType
canonical model,low frequency,hodgkin huxley
Bursting,Synapse,Neuroscience,Biological system,Digital pattern generator,Nerve net,Control theory,Canonical model,Neuron,Mathematics,Wavelength,Sigmoid function
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
92
3
0340-1200
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
1
0.42
10
Authors
2
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Alexander Kaske162.15
Nils Bertschinger222521.10