Method and apparatus for phase-independent predictable resetting

Abstract

The oscillatory dynamics of inferior olive (IO) neurons found in the olivo-cerebellar network of the brain are reproduced and applied to various control applications. An IO neuron model is provided which produces quasi-sinusoidal oscillations with a characteristic amplitude and frequency. Action potentials occur at the peaks of the oscillations and have precise timing properties. Stimuli applied to the IO neuron model show no changes in oscillation amplitude and frequency but do produce a shift of the oscillation phase, and hence a time shift of the corresponding action potentials. The resulting phase is defined by the strength of the stimulus and does not depend on when the stimulus is applied, thus providing a self-referential phase reset (SPR) effect. The oscillations of multiple IO neurons, or their models, coupled together tend to become organized in space and time in the form of oscillatory phase clusters. The phases of the IO oscillators can be quickly set to a desired phase pattern irrespective of the history of phase evolution. A circuit for implementing the IO neuron model and a control system based on the circuit are described.