Complex and chaotic dynamics in a discrete-time-delayed Hopfield neural network with ring architecture

This paper is devoted to the analysis of a discrete-time-delayed Hopfield-type neural network of pp neurons with ring architecture. The stability domain of the null solution is found, the values of the characteristic parameter for which bifurcations occur at the origin are identified and the existence of Fold/Cusp, Neimark–Sacker and Flip bifurcations is proved. These bifurcations are analyzed by applying the center manifold theorem and the normal form theory. It is proved that resonant 1:3 and 1:4 bifurcations may also be present. It is shown that the dynamics in a neighborhood of the null solution become more and more complex as the characteristic parameter grows in magnitude and passes through the bifurcation values. A theoretical proof is given for the occurrence of Marotto’s chaotic behavior, if the magnitudes of the interconnection coefficients are large enough and at least one of the activation functions has two simple real roots.