Synchronization in memristively pulse-coupled oscillator networks – experiments

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Temporal synchrony of firing neuronal ensembles is considered as a key ingredient to explain higher brain functions, such as perception or consciousness. The underlying basic feature is known as the binding problem in neuroscience. The spatial and temporal mechanism for the "binding" of different features of an object, such as color and shape, leads to an entire object representation in the brain, but is not fully understood and explored. Spiking neurons can be electronically represented by relaxation type oscillators: based-on programmable unijunction transistors (PUTs) and operational amplifiers the non-linear dynamics, i.e. phase portraits, bifurcation, phase response curves of two and ensembles of relaxation type oscillators are investigated. Neuronal justified mechanisms, like Poisson distributed firing rates of individual neurons, as well as signal retardation and variable coupling strength will be implemented, respectively, by delay lines and memristive devices. While discrete oscillator networks will be investigated to understand the fundamental dynamical aspects of signal delays and variable coupling strengths, higher integrated networks will be built on a 250 nm CMOS technology Finally, likewise topological aspects, as known from the Hippocampus, as well as synchrony mechanisms will be studied in the framework of time-varying networks. For this purpose, a network emulator is also available, which allows to examine individual memristive devices within different circuit topologies and network induced dynamics.