Generalized Phase Representation of Integrate-and-Fire Models

Abstract

The quadratic integrate-and-fire (QIF) model captures the normal form bifurcation dynamics of Type-I neurons found in cortex. Remarkably, this model is known to have a dual equivalent representation in terms of phase, called the $\theta$-model, which has advantages for numerical simulations and analysis over the QIF model. Here, I investigate the nature of the dual representation and derive the general phase model expression for all integrate-and-fire models. Moreover, I show the condition for which the phase models exhibit discontinuous onset firing rate, the hallmark of Type-II spiking neurons.