Synchronous phase clustering in a network of neurons with spatially decaying excitatory coupling

Synchronization is studied in a spatially-distributed network of weekly-coupled, excitatory neurons of Hodgkin-Huxley type. All neurons are coupled to each other synaptically with a fixed time delay and a coupling strength inversely proportional to the distance between two neurons. We found that a robust, noise-resistant phase clustering state occurred regardless of the initial phase distribution. This has not been shown in previous studies where similar clustering states were found only when the coupling was inhibitory. The spatial distribution of neurons in each synchronous cluster is determined by the spatial distribution of the coupling strength. Phase-interaction properties of the model neurons in the network are used to explain why can such a clustering state be robust.