Temporal Coherence Transitions Induced by Channel Noise in Scale-Free Neuronal Networks with Time Delay

Abstract

In this paper, we study the effect of channel noise on the temporal coherence of scale-free Hodgkin–Huxley neuronal networks with time delay. It is found that the temporal coherence of the neuronal networks changes as channel noise intensity is varied in different ways depending on the range of channel noise intensity. The temporal coherence monotonically decreases with the increase of channel noise intensity for too small or too big channel noise intensity. However, for intermediate channel noise intensity it intermittently and rapidly becomes high and low as channel noise intensity is varied, exhibiting temporal coherence transitions. Moreover, this phenomenon is dependent on coupling strength and network average degree and becomes strongest when they are optimal. This result shows that channel noise has a regulation effect on the temporal coherence of the delayed neuronal networks by inducing temporal coherence transitions. This provides a new insight into channel noise for the information processing and transmission in neural systems.