Suppression and frequency control of repetitive spiking in the FitzHugh-Nagumo model.

Abstract

The FitzHugh-Nagumo equation is a simple model equation that exhibits spiking. The output signal of a neuron is represented in the spiking frequency or firing rate. We consider a few control methods for spiking from the viewpoint of nonlinear dynamics. The repetitive spiking can be suppressed in the FitzHugh-Nagumo model by the periodic sinusoidal force with high frequency. We study the transition to the suppressed state numerically and perform a linear stability analysis to understand the suppression of the spiking. Next, we study coupled FitzHugh-Nagumo equations. We find that the periodic forcing makes the system chaotic, and the desynchronization induced by chaos weakens the total output of spiking in a certain parameter range. Finally, we propose a method of feedback control for the spiking frequency. We can get the desired spiking and bursting frequency using this feedback control. The feedback control method is analyzed using a mapping for the input.