Active spike responses of analog electrical neuron: Theory and experiments

Abstract

Using an analog electrical FitzHugh-Nagumo neuron including complex threshold excitation (CTE) properties, we analyze its spiking responses under pulse stimulation corresponding to oscillating threshold manifold. The system is subjected to outside pulse stimulus and can generate nonlinear integrate-and-fire and resonant responses which are typical for excitable neuronal cells ("all-or-none"). The answer of the neuron strongly depends on the number and the characteristics of incoming impulses (amplitude, width, strength and frequency). For certain parameters range, there is a possibility to trigger a spiking sequence with a finite number of spikes in response of a single short stimulus pulse. Thus active transformation of N incoming pulses to M outgoing spikes is possible. The predicted theoretical results are found and observed in a nonlinear electrical circuit mimicking the CTE mode, which enlighten the robustness of these phenomena.