Hindmarsh–Rose model: Close and far to the singular limit

Dynamics arising in the Hindmarsh–Rose model are considered from a novel perspective. We study qualitative changes that occur as the time scale of the slow variable increases taking the system far from the slow-fast scenario. We see how the structure of spike-adding still persists far from the singular case but the geometry of the bifurcations changes notably. Particular attention is paid to changes in the shape of the homoclinic bifurcation curves and the disappearance of Inclination-Flip codimension-two points. These transformations seem to be linked to the way in which the spike-adding takes place, the changing from fold/hom to fold/Hopf bursting behavior and also with the way in which the chaotic regions evolve as the time scale of the slow variable increases. - Highlights: • Dynamics arising in the Hindmarsh–Rose model are considered close and far to the singular limit. • The structure of spike-adding still persists far from the singular case but the geometry of the bifurcations changes notably. • The homoclinic bifurcation curves change their shape and some codimension-two points (Inclination-Flip) disappear. • The changes in the homoclinic curves are correlated with adjustments in the spike-adding process and in the chaotic regions.