Kuramoto model for populations of quadratic integrate-and-fire neurons with chemical and electrical coupling

Abstract

We derive the Kuramoto model (KM) corresponding to a population of weakly coupled, nearly identical quadratic integrate-and-fire neurons (QIF) with both electrical and chemical coupling. The ratio of chemical to electrical coupling determines the phase lag of the characteristic sine coupling function of the KM, and critically determines the synchronization properties of the network. We apply our results to investigate chimera states in two coupled populations of identical QIF neurons. We find that the presence of both electrical and chemical coupling is a necessary condition for chimera states to exist. Finally, we numerically demonstrate that chimera states gradually disappear as coupling strengths cease to be weak.