  Two identical autonomous dynamical systems coupled in a master-slave
configuration can exhibit anticipated synchronization (AS) if the slave also
receives a delayed negative self-feedback. Recently, AS was shown to occur in
systems of simplified neuron models, requiring the coupling of the neuronal
membrane potential with its delayed value. However, this coupling has no
obvious biological correlate. Here we propose a canonical neuronal microcircuit
with standard chemical synapses, where the delayed inhibition is provided by an
interneuron. In this biologically plausible scenario, a smooth transition from
delayed synchronization (DS) to AS typically occurs when the inhibitory
synaptic conductance is increased. The phenomenon is shown to be robust when
model parameters are varied within physiological range. Since the DS-AS
transition amounts to an inversion in the timing of the pre- and post-synaptic
spikes, our results could have a bearing on spike-timing-dependent-plasticity
models.
