  The response of a neuron to synaptic input strongly depends on whether or not
it has just emitted a spike. We propose a neuron model that after spike
emission exhibits a partial response to residual input charges and study its
collective network dynamics analytically. We uncover a novel desynchronization
mechanism that causes a sequential desynchronization transition: In globally
coupled neurons an increase in the strength of the partial response induces a
sequence of bifurcations from states with large clusters of synchronously
firing neurons, through states with smaller clusters to completely asynchronous
spiking. We briefly discuss key consequences of this mechanism for more general
networks of biophysical neurons.

Neurons and Cognition