Enhancement of synchronization in inter–intra-connected neuronal networks

• Enhancement of synchronization in a network of two locally coupled different neurons.
• Local coupling promote oscillation dead in neural networks.
• Favoring interesting properties in neural networks such as sub-threshold membrane oscillations.
• Local interactions are found to play a stronger role in synchronization than long-range (global) interactions.

We study the enhancement of neural synchrony in a network of electrically coupled Hindmarsh Rose (HR) neurons. The behavior of the network under control by an external environment modeled by the Fitzhugh Nagumo (FN) is analyzed. Biologically, such a control system could mimic the modification of normal neuronal dynamics due to drugs or other chemical substances. We show that the environment could have as effect the suppression of chaos, enhancement of synchrony and favor interesting properties such as sub-threshold membrane oscillations, and oscillation death for relatively strong local coupling. Interestingly, we find that the electrical coupling between each two coupled HR and FN is less important to synchronization than the local coupling between the HR and the FN neurons. In other words, local interactions are found to play a stronger role in synchronization than long-range (global) interactions.