Delay-induced intermittent transition of synchronization in neuronal networks with hybrid synapses

We study the dependence of synchronization transitions in scale-free networks of bursting neurons with hybrid synapses on the information transmission delay and the probability of inhibitory synapses. It is shown that, irrespective of the probability of inhibitory synapses, the delay always plays a subtle role during synchronization transition of the scale-free neuronal networks. In particular, regions of irregular and regular propagating excitatory fronts appear intermittently as the delay increases. These delay-induced synchronization transitions are manifested as well-expressed minima in the measure for spatiotemporal synchrony. In addition, it is found that, for smaller and larger probability of inhibitory synapses, intermittent synchronization transition is relatively profound, while for the moderate probability of inhibitory synapses, synchronization transition seems less profound. More interestingly, it is found that as the probability of inhibitory synapses is large, regions of synchronization are upscattering. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.