Anca Rădulescu, Eva Kaslik, Alexandru Fikl, Michael Anderson, Alex Norwood
Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science
Abstract
BibTeX
@article{RadulescuKaslikFiklAndersonNorwood_CHAOS_2026,
title = {
Gap Junction Architecture and Synchronization Clusters in the Thalamic
Reticular Nuclei
},
author = {
Anca Rădulescu and Eva Kaslik and Alexandru Fikl and Michael Anderson and
Alex Norwood
},
year = 2026,
journal = {Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science},
publisher = {AIP Publishing},
volume = 36,
pages = {63146–63146},
doi = {10.1063/5.0310120},
eprint = {2209.00384v2},
issue = 6,
abstract = {
Neuronal synchronization can emerge through various coupling mechanisms,
but its expression depends strongly on how these connections are organized.
Gap junctions, in particular, can reshape inhibitory synchrony, sometimes
reinforcing coherence, other times fragmenting it. Building on the classic
Rinzel–Golomb model of the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), we extend an
inhibitory network to include gap-junction coupling arranged in
biologically-motivated clustered patterns. In particular, we explore the
effects of the size, strength, and spatial distribution of gap-junction
clusters on synchronization, and how these effects are modulated by the
level of background inhibition. Across conductance regimes, weak electrical
coupling can transiently destabilize synchrony, while stronger or more
extensive clustering promotes coherence or dampens oscillations. These
results suggest that the spatial organization of electrical connectivity,
together with inhibitory tone, plays a decisive role in shaping rhythmic
coordination within TRN-like networks.
},
}