Diversity-induced decoherence

We analyze the effect of small-amplitude noise and heterogeneity in a network of coupled excitable oscillators with strong time scale separation. Using mean-field analysis, we uncover the mechanism of a new nontrivial effect – diversity-induced decoherence (DIDC) – in which heterogeneity modulates the mechanism of self-induced stochastic resonance to inhibit the coherence of oscillations. We argue that DIDC may offer one possible mechanism via which, in excitable neural systems, generic heterogeneity and background noise can synergistically prevent unwanted resonances that may be related to hyperkinetic movement disorders.