Noise-induced critical behavior in an electronic model of a single neuron

Summary form only given, as follows. A simple electronic circuit model of a single neuron with inertial feedback is considered. The neutron is assumed to be driven by an external signal comprising constant (DC) and random components. In addition, the nonlinearity parameter in the circuit is assumed to fluctuate, thereby giving rise to critical behavior including the onset of hysteresis phenomena even for system parameter values that would not otherwise support such behavior. This noise-induced critical behavior is analyzed, in the long time limit, through a study of the probability density function describing the neural response.<>