Effective desynchronization by means of double-pulse phase resetting

Institute of Medicine, Research Centre Jülich - D-52425 Jülich, Germany

Received: 11 September 2000
Accepted: 25 October 2000

Abstract

A double-pulse stimulation technique is presented here for the first time which makes it possible to effectively desynchronize a synchronized cluster of globally coupled phase oscillators in the presence of noise. The first, stronger pulse of the double pulse restarts the cluster independently of its initial dynamic state. The second, weaker pulse desynchronizes the cluster by hitting it in a vulnerable state. After the desynchronization the cluster tends to resynchronize since the incoherent state is unstable. Nevertheless, repeated administration of double pulses blocks the cluster's resynchronization. This approach can directly be applied to real data. Accordingly, a demand-controlled deep-brain double-pulse stimulation technique is suggested for the therapy of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease or essential tremor.