A chaotic ring neural oscillator of three nonmonotonic neurons

Chaos due to nonmonotonicity in the output function of neurons in a ring of unidirectionally coupled three identical neurons is examined. The model has the form of a ring oscillator and includes only three couplings, which is considered to be one of minimal chaotic neural networks. Chaotic oscillations emerge through the cascades of period-doubling bifurcations when the strength of at least one coupling differs from the others. Symmetry in the nonmonotonic output function of neurons is intrinsic for the emergence of chaos.