The combination of STDP and intrinsic plasticity yields complex dynamics in recurrent spiking networks

We analyze the dynamics of deterministic recurrent spiking neural networks with spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) and in- trinsic plasticity (IP) that changes the excitability of individual units. We find that STDP and IP can synergistically interact to produce complex network dynamics. These dynamics are quite different from the dynam- ics of networks that lack one or the other form of plasticity. Our results suggest that a synergistic combination of different forms of plasticity may contribute to cortical dynamics of high complexity, and they underscore the need to carefully study the interaction of different plasticity forms 1 .