Critical behaviour at the onset of synchronization in a neuronal model

Abstract

The presence of both critical behavior and oscillating patterns in brain dynamics is a very interesting issue. In this paper, we consider a model for a neuron population, where each neuron is modeled by an over-damped rotator. We find that in the space of external parameters, there exist some regions that system shows synchronization. Interestingly, just at the transition point, the avalanche statistics show a power-law behavior. Also, in the case of small systems, the (partially) synchronization and power-law behavior can happen at the same time.