Abstract.
The pyloric Central Pattern Generator (CPG) in the lobster has an architecture in which every neuron receives at least one connection from another member of the CPG. We call this a “non-open” network topology. An “open” topology, where at least one neuron does not receive synapses from any other CPG member, is found neither in the pyloric nor in the gastric mill CPG. Here we investigate a possible reason for this topological structure using the ability to perform a biologically functional task as a measure of the efficacy of the network. When the CPG is composed of model neurons that exhibit regular membrane voltage oscillations, open topologies are as able to maximize this functionality as non-open topologies. When we replace these models by neurons which exhibit chaotic membrane voltage oscillations, the functional criterion selects non-open topologies. As isolated neurons from invertebrate CPGs are known in some cases to undergo chaotic oscillations, this suggests that there is a biological basis for the class of non-open network topologies that we observe.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received: 5 July 2000 / Accepted in revised form: 16 October 2000
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Huerta, R., Varona, P., Rabinovich, M. et al. Topology selection by chaotic neurons of a pyloric central pattern generator. Biol Cybern 84, L1–L8 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00007976
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00007976