Redwood Neuroscience
Title "Rapid Information Processing
and Receptive Field
Self-Organization in Column Based
Neural Networks"
Joerg
Research
Assistant
Abstract:
A neural network is presented which is based on a
columnar interconnection architecture.
Motivated by neuroanatomical and neurophysiological findings we model a cortical macrocolumn as a collection of inhibitorily
coupled minicolumns, which themselves consist of
randomly interconnected spiking neurons. A stability analysis of the system's
dynamical equations shows that minicolumns can act as
monolithic functional units for purposes of critical, fast decisions and learning. Oscillating inhibition (in the gamma
frequency range) leads to a phase-coupled population rate code and high
sensitivity to small imbalances in minicolumn inputs.
If afferent fibers to the minicolumns are subject to Hebbian plasticity, minicolumns
self-organize their receptive fields to become classifiers for the input
patterns.
The presentation will include the analytical treatment
of the dynamics along with bifurcation diagrams and various computer
simulations.