Transition from regular to complex behaviour in a discrete deterministic asymmetric neural network model

The authors study the long-time behaviour of the transient before the collapse on the periodic attractors of a discrete deterministic asymmetric neural network model. The system has a finite number of possible states so it is not possible to use the term chaos in the usual sense of sensitive dependence on the initial condition. Nevertheless, on varying the asymmetry parameter, k, one observes a transition from ordered motion (i.e. short transients and short periods on the attractors) to 'complex' temporal behaviour. This transition takes place for the same value kc at which one has a change in behaviour for the mean transient length from a power law in the size of the system (N) to an exponential law in N. The 'complex' behaviour during the transient shows strong analogies with chaotic behaviour: decay of temporal correlations, positive Shannon entropy, nonconstant Renyi entropies of different orders. Moreover the transition is very similar to the intermittent transition in chaotic systems: a scaling law for the Shannon entropy and strong fluctuations of the 'effective Shannon entropy' along the transient, for k>kc.