Control of synchronization and spiking regularity by heterogenous aperiodic high-frequency signal in coupled excitable systems

This paper investigates the synchronization and spiking regularity induced by heterogenous aperiodic (HA) signal in coupled excitable FitzHugh–Nagumo systems. We found new nontrivial effects of couplings and HA signals on the firing regularity and synchronization in coupled excitable systems without a periodic external driving. The phenomenon is similar to array enhanced coherence resonance (AECR), and it is shown that AECR-type behavior is not limited to systems driven by noises. It implies that the HA signal may be beneficial for the brain function, which is similar to the role of noise. Furthermore, it is also found that the mean frequencies, the amplitudes and the heterogeneity of HA stimuli can serve as control parameters in modulating spiking regularity and synchronization in coupled excitable systems. These results may be significant for the control of the synchronized firing of the brain in neural diseases like epilepsy.

► Heterogenous aperiodic signals can modulate firing regularity and synchronization of coupled excitable systems.
► It is shown that AECR-type (array enhanced coherence resonance) behavior can be driven by heterogenous aperiodic signals.
► The results may be significant for the control of the synchronized firing of the brain in neural diseases like epilepsy.