Chaotic bursts and bifurcation in chaotic neural networks with ring structure

We investigate a noninvertible map describing burst firing in a chaotic neu ral network model with ring structure. Since each neuron interacts with man y other neurons in biological neural systems, it is important to consider g lobal dynamics of networks composed of nonlinear neurons in order to clarif y not only mechanisms of emergence of the burst firing but also its possibl e functional roles. We analyze parameter regions in which burst firing can be observed, and show that dynamics of strange attractors with burst firing is related to the generation of a homoclinic-like situation and vanishing of an invariant closed curve of the map.