Mean field analysis of large-scale interacting populations of stochastic conductance-based spiking neurons using the Klimontovich method

Abstract: We investigate the dynamics of large-scale interacting neural populations, composed of conductance based, spiking model neurons with modifiable synaptic connection strengths, which are possibly also subjected to external noisy currents. The network dynamics is controlled by a set of neural population probability distributions ($\mathrm{PPD}$)which are constructed along the same lines as in the Klimontovich approach to the kinetic theory of plasmas. An exact non-closed, nonlinear, system of integro-partial differential equations is derived for the $\mathrm{PPD}$s. As is customary, a closing procedure leads to a mean field limit. The equations we have obtained are of the same type as those which have been recently derived using rigorous techniques of probability theory. The numerical solutions of these so called McKean-Vlasov-Fokker-Planck equations, which are only valid in the limit of infinite size networks, actually shows that the statistical measures as obtained from $\mathrm{PPD}$s are in good agreement with those obtained through direct integration of the stochastic dynamical system for large but finite size networks. Although numerical solutions have been obtained in the case of Fitzhugh-Nagumo model neurons, the theory can be readily applied to systems of Hodgkin-Huxley type model neurons of arbitrary dimension.