Transition of electric activity of neurons induced by chemical and electric autapses

Autapse connected to the neuron can change the electric activity of neuron. The effect of autapse on neuronal activity is often described by adding an additive forcing current along a close loop, which is described by a time-delayed feedback on the membrane potential. Neuron often responds to electric autapse forcing sensitively and quickly, while the chemical autapse changes the electric activity of neuron slowly. By applying external forcing, a shift transition of electric activity can be more easily induced by the electric autapse than the chemical autapse. Our results confirm that chemical autapse can enhance and/or suppress the transition of electric activity with excitable or inhibitory type driven by electric autapse, vice versa. It indicates that an appropriate switch-off-on for autapse can make the neuron give different types of response to external forcing. Particularly, cooperation and competition between chemical and electric autapse help neuron response to external forcing in the most reliable way.