Sensitivity analysis of an analog circuit model of lamprey unit pattern generator

Neural circuitry within the spinal cord of the lamprey, a primitive vertebrate, can generate self-sustained oscillations for locomotion (swimming). This pattern generator can be modeled as a chain of oscillatory unit pattern generator segments which exhibit behavior depending on the parameter values in the network. Here, the authors present the results of a simulation study of an analog electronic circuit which mimics the behavior of the biological lamprey unit pattern generator. The circuitry mimics a neural network containing 6 neurons with simplified biophysical properties. The analog circuit exhibits symmetric oscillations, asymmetric oscillations, and fixed points, similar to the behavior of the mathematical model of the lamprey. This work is the first in a series of circuits designed to have possible applications in neuroscience research and in the development of artificial locomotor systems