Noise-induced switching in two adaptively coupled excitable systems

We demonstrate that the interplay of noise and plasticity gives rise to slow stochastic fluctuations in a system of two adaptively coupled active rotators with excitable local dynamics. Depending on the adaptation rate, two qualitatively different types of switching behavior are observed. For slower adaptation, one finds alternation between two modes of noise-induced oscillations, whereby the modes are distinguished by the different order of spiking between the units. In case of faster adaptation, the system switches between the metastable states derived from coexisting attractors of the corresponding deterministic system, whereby the phases exhibit a bursting-like behavior. The qualitative features of the switching dynamics are analyzed within the framework of fast-slow analysis.