Since neural networks have superior information processing functions, many investigators are modeling biological neurons and neural networks. In this chapter, we describe how to construct a pulse-type hardware neuron model based on the asynchronous chaotic neuron model. In particular, we focus on the cell body, describing its circuit construction and chaos dynamics. In addition, we describe the circuit construction and chaos-mediated transmission characteristics of the axon.

14.1 Introduction

As the elemental unit from which the nervous system is composed, the neuron is the natural starting point in a description of the basic properties of the brain ^[1]. Neurons are major components of the nervous system and play important roles in information transmission and processing in biological organisms. Most biological neuron models are based on the three basic neuron components: the cell body, the synapses, and the axon. In 1952, Hodgkin and Huxley described electrical phenomena of the squid giant axon by a set of four nonlinear differential equations ^[2]. In 1961, Fitzhugh ^[3] and Nagumo ^[4] independently proposed that neuronal electrical activity could be described by Bonhoeffer van der Pol (BVP) equations, which are two nonlinear...