title: Synchronization and long-time memory in neural networks with inhibitory hubs and synaptic plasticity.
abstract: We investigate the dynamical role of inhibitory and highly connected nodes (hub) in synchronization and input processing of leaky-integrate-and-fire neural networks with short term synaptic plasticity. We take advantage of a heterogeneous mean-field approximation to encode the role of network structure and we tune the fraction of inhibitory neurons f_{I} and their connectivity level to investigate the cooperation between hub features and inhibition. We show that, depending on f_{I}, highly connected inhibitory nodes strongly drive the synchronization properties of the overall network through dynamical transitions from synchronous to asynchronous regimes. Furthermore, a metastable regime with long memory of external inputs emerges for a specific fraction of hub inhibitory neurons, underlining the role of inhibition and connectivity also for input processing in neural networks.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienza della Terra, Università di Parma, via G.P. Usberti, 7/A-43124 Parma, Italy.|INFN, Gruppo Collegato di Parma, via G.P. Usberti, 7/A-43124 Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bertolotti
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienza della Terra, Università di Parma, via G.P. Usberti, 7/A-43124 Parma, Italy.|INFN, Gruppo Collegato di Parma, via G.P. Usberti, 7/A-43124 Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burioni
authors.affiliation: Group for Neural Theory, Departément des Etudes Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.|Centro Interdipartimentale per lo Studio delle Dinamiche Complesse, via Sansone, 1-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.|Indiana University-Purdue University, 420 University Blvd., Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, USA.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: di Volo
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienza della Terra, Università di Parma, via G.P. Usberti, 7/A-43124 Parma, Italy.|IMEM-CNR, Parco Area delle Scienze 37/A-43124 Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vezzani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009433:Neural Inhibition; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010507:Periodicity