Reaction to neural signatures through excitatory synapses in central pattern generator models

The activity of central pattern generator (CPG) neurons is processed by several different readers: neurons within the same CPG, neurons in other interconnected CPGs and muscles. Taking this into account, it is not surprising that CPG neurons may use different codes in their activity. In this paper, we study the capability of a CPG model to react to neural signatures through excitatory synapses. Neural signatures are cell-specific intraburst spike timings within their spiking–bursting activity. These fingerprints are encoded in the activity of the cells in addition to the information provided by their slow wave rhythm and phase relationships. The results shown in this paper suggest that neural signatures can be a mechanism to induce fast changes in the rhythm generated by a CPG through excitatory synapses.