15,957 research outputs found
The control of walking movements in the leg of the rock lobster
Cruse H, Clarac F, Chasserat C. The control of walking movements in the leg of the rock lobster. Biological Cybernetics. 1983;47(2):87-94
Biological Cybernetics: 60 years and more to come
Projekt DEALPeer Reviewe
Short-term plasticity as cause-effect hypothesis testing in distal reward learning
Asynchrony, overlaps and delays in sensory-motor signals introduce ambiguity
as to which stimuli, actions, and rewards are causally related. Only the
repetition of reward episodes helps distinguish true cause-effect relationships
from coincidental occurrences. In the model proposed here, a novel plasticity
rule employs short and long-term changes to evaluate hypotheses on cause-effect
relationships. Transient weights represent hypotheses that are consolidated in
long-term memory only when they consistently predict or cause future rewards.
The main objective of the model is to preserve existing network topologies when
learning with ambiguous information flows. Learning is also improved by biasing
the exploration of the stimulus-response space towards actions that in the past
occurred before rewards. The model indicates under which conditions beliefs can
be consolidated in long-term memory, it suggests a solution to the
plasticity-stability dilemma, and proposes an interpretation of the role of
short-term plasticity.Comment: Biological Cybernetics, September 201
Neuro-mechanical entrainment in a bipedal robotic walking platform
In this study, we investigated the use of van der Pol oscillators in a 4-dof embodied bipedal robotic platform for the purposes of planar walking. The oscillator controlled the hip and knee joints of the robot and was capable of generating waveforms with the correct frequency and phase so as to entrain with the mechanical system. Lowering its oscillation frequency resulted in an increase to the walking pace, indicating exploitation of the global natural dynamics. This is verified by its operation in absence of entrainment, where faster limb motion results in a slower overall walking pace
Bumps and rings in a two-dimensional neural field: splitting and rotational instabilities
In this paper we consider instabilities of localised solutions in planar neural field firing rate models of Wilson-Cowan or Amari type. Importantly we show that angular perturbations can destabilise spatially localised solutions. For a scalar model with Heaviside firing rate function we calculate symmetric one-bump and ring solutions explicitly and use an Evans function approach to predict the point of instability and the shapes of the dominant growing modes. Our predictions are shown to be in excellent agreement with direct numerical simulations. Moreover, beyond the instability our simulations demonstrate the emergence of multi-bump and labyrinthine patterns.
With the addition of spike-frequency adaptation, numerical simulations of the resulting vector model show that it is possible for structures without rotational symmetry, and in particular multi-bumps, to undergo an instability to a rotating wave. We use a general argument, valid for smooth firing rate functions, to establish the conditions necessary to generate such a rotational instability. Numerical continuation of the rotating wave is used to quantify the emergent angular velocity as a bifurcation parameter is varied. Wave stability is found via the numerical evaluation of an associated eigenvalue problem
Neuro-mechanical entrainment in a bipedal robotic walking platform
In this study, we investigated the use of van der Pol oscillators in a 4-dof embodied bipedal robotic platform for the purposes of planar walking. The oscillator controlled the hip and knee joints of the robot and was capable of generating waveforms with the correct frequency and phase so as to entrain with the mechanical system. Lowering its oscillation frequency resulted in an increase to the walking pace, indicating exploitation of the global natural dynamics. This is verified by its operation in absence of entrainment, where faster limb motion results in a slower overall walking pace
Signal detection in extracellular neural ensemble recordings using higher criticism
Information processing in the brain is conducted by a concerted action of
multiple neural populations. Gaining insights in the organization and dynamics
of such populations can best be studied with broadband intracranial recordings
of so-called extracellular field potential, reflecting neuronal spiking as well
as mesoscopic activities, such as waves, oscillations, intrinsic large
deflections, and multiunit spiking activity. Such signals are critical for our
understanding of how neuronal ensembles encode sensory information and how such
information is integrated in the large networks underlying cognition. The
aforementioned principles are now well accepted, yet the efficacy of extracting
information out of the complex neural data, and their employment for improving
our understanding of neural networks, critically depends on the mathematical
processing steps ranging from simple detection of action potentials in noisy
traces - to fitting advanced mathematical models to distinct patterns of the
neural signal potentially underlying intra-processing of information, e.g.
interneuronal interactions. Here, we present a robust strategy for detecting
signals in broadband and noisy time series such as spikes, sharp waves and
multi-unit activity data that is solely based on the intrinsic statistical
distribution of the recorded data. By using so-called higher criticism - a
second-level significance testing procedure comparing the fraction of observed
significances to an expected fraction under the global null - we are able to
detect small signals in correlated noisy time-series without prior filtering,
denoising or data regression. Results demonstrate the efficiency and
reliability of the method and versatility over a wide range of experimental
conditions and suggest the appropriateness of higher criticism to characterize
neuronal dynamics without prior manipulation of the data
Developmental acquisition of entrainment skills in robot swinging using van der Pol oscillators
In this study we investigated the effects of different
morphological configurations on a robot swinging
task using van der Pol oscillators. The task was
examined using two separate degrees of freedom
(DoF), both in the presence and absence of neural
entrainment. Neural entrainment stabilises the
system, reduces time-to-steady state and relaxes the
requirement for a strong coupling with the
environment in order to achieve mechanical
entrainment. It was found that staged release of the
distal DoF does not have any benefits over using both
DoF from the onset of the experimentation. On the
contrary, it is less efficient, both with respect to the
time needed to reach a stable oscillatory regime and
the maximum amplitude it can achieve. The same
neural architecture is successful in achieving
neuromechanical entrainment for a robotic walking
task
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