Robustness and enhancement of neural synchronization by activity-dependent coupling

Abstract

We study the synchronization of two model neurons coupled through a synapse having an activity-dependent strength. Our synapse follows the rules of spike-timing dependent plasticity. We show that this plasticity of the coupling between neurons produces enlarged frequency-locking zones and results in synchronization that is more rapid and much more robust against noise than classical synchronization arising from connections with constant strength. We also present a simple discrete map model that demonstrates the generality of the phenomenon.