Coupled van der Pol oscillators as a simplified model for generation of neural patterns for jellyfish locomotion

Abstract

In this paper, we present a simple system of coupled oscillators as a model of pattern generation for jellyfish locomotion. Coupled oscillator models have been successfully applied to model pattern generation in numerous biological systems including jellyfish locomotion, but the previous jellyfish models have required complicated oscillators or variation of coupling topology to produce gait variations. Here we show that a simple model consisting of identical van der Pol oscillators with fixed coupling topology suffices to produce dynamics corresponding to essential jellyfish gaits (co-ordinated bout swimming, hovering, and turning) solely by uniform adjustment of coupling strengths. Thus, a simple coupled oscillator model succeeds in producing a range of dynamic behaviour analogous to the essential neural dynamics for locomotion control of a simple animal. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.