Synchronous dynamics and bifurcation analysis in two delay coupled oscillators with recurrent inhibitory loops (Q1956207)

The paper studies two coupled Wilson-Cowan systems \[ \begin{aligned} E_{k}'(t) & =-E_{k}(t)+af_{e}(-c_{1}I_{k}(t-\tau)-\alpha I_{k+1}(t-\tau)),\\ I_{k}'(t) & =-I_{k}(t)+af_{i}(c_{2}E_{k}(t-\tau)),\end{aligned} \] where \(k=1,2\), \((I_3 \equiv I_4)\) and \(\tau>0\) is the time delay. The paper studies stability of the synchronous solutions, for which the two systems possess an identical dynamics \(E_1=E_2\), \(I_1=I_2\). The characteristic equation and the bifurcations of the synchronous steady state solution are analyzed in detail. In particular, the conditions are given, for which the synchronous steady state solution bifurcates to a synchronous periodic solution. Various other codimension 1 and codimension 2 bifurcations are studied as well.