White noise-induced spiral waves and multiple spatial coherence resonances in a neuronal network with type I excitability

White noise-induced pattern formation is studied in a network composed of Morris-Lecar neuronal models with type I excitability and with initial values higher than that of the resting potential. The appearance and disappearance of spiral waves, as well as the transitions between spiral wave patterns with different kinds of complexity characterized by the normalized spatial autocorrelation function, enable changes in the order of the network so as to exhibit a scenario with two or more locally maximal peaks, as can be clearly seen in the signal to noise ratio curves, as the noise intensity is adjusted from small to large in a wide range. A possible physical mechanism of the multiple resonances based on the dynamics of type I excitability and initial values is provided. The potential biological significance of the noise-induced spiral waves is discussed. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.