Effects of autapse on the transmission of localized rhythmic activity in small-world neuronal networks

In this paper, the effects of autapse (a kind of synapse formed between the axon or soma of a neuron and its own dendrites) on the transmission of weak localized rhythmic activity are investigated depending on ion channel noise in a Newman-Watts small-word networks of stochastic Hodgkin-huxley neurons. In this study, we consider that only a neuron, called pacemaker, to which a weak periodic stimuli is injected has an autapse. Obtained results indicate that autapse with proper parameter values (delay time and coupling strength) prominently increases the transmission of weak localized rhythmic activity across the network as compared to the case in which pacemaker neuron does not have the autapse. Besides, we find that autapse can significantly enhances the transmission of weak local activity for different network topologies having different p values.