Computer simulation of a central pattern generator via Kuramoto model

The presence of oscillatory activity in motor command signals was demonstrated, and the possible existence of synchronous oscillatory activity within the sensorimotor system has been suggested. We adopted a set of 1000 coupled oscillators distributed on 10 x 10 square lattice as a model of a central pattern generator. Each lattice element contained 10 closer neighbor oscillators. We introduced a new method to estimate the equilibrium order parameter to characterize the degree of synchronization of the oscillator system. The numerical scheme was based on a model that is simple, but that contains the essential features of a broad class of cortical neurons. The adopted boundary conditions were based on known characteristics of the synaptic transmission. By means of numerical simulations of the Kuramoto, we simulated the dynamical behavior of a central pattern generator. Our results are in agreement with some experimental data from literature. So, we believe such a method can be used to model dynamic behavior of a central pattern generator with good computational efficiency. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.