Dynamic range in a neuron network with electrical and chemical synapses

Abstract

The dynamic range is the logarithmic difference between maximum and minimum levels of sensation produced by known stimuli. In the human sensory systems the dynamic ranges are typically larger than for single neurons, this amplification being essentially a collective effect of the neural network. We investigated the dynamic range exhibited by a cellular automaton network with electrical and chemical synapses, when the stimuli are modelled by a Poisson process of suprathreshold events of stereotyped unit amplitude and the neuron response is its average firing rate.