  The collective dynamics of complex networks of FitzHugh-Nagumo units exhibits
rare and recurrent events of high amplitude (extreme events) that are preceded
by so-called proto-events during which a certain fraction of the units become
excited. Although it is well known that a sufficiently large fraction of
excited units is required to turn a proto-event into an extreme event, it is
not yet clear how the other units are being recruited into the final generation
of an extreme event. Addressing this question and mimicking typical
experimental situations, we investigate the centrality of edges in
time-dependent interaction networks. We derived these networks from time series
of the units' dynamics employing a widely used bivariate analysis technique.
Using our recently proposed edge centrality concepts together with an
edge-based network decomposition technique, we observe that the recruitment is
primarily facilitated by sets of certain edges that have no equivalent in the
underlying topology. Our finding might aid to improve the understanding of
generation of extreme events in natural networked dynamical systems.
