6,886 research outputs found
A neural circuit for navigation inspired by C. elegans Chemotaxis
We develop an artificial neural circuit for contour tracking and navigation
inspired by the chemotaxis of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In order to
harness the computational advantages spiking neural networks promise over their
non-spiking counterparts, we develop a network comprising 7-spiking neurons
with non-plastic synapses which we show is extremely robust in tracking a range
of concentrations. Our worm uses information regarding local temporal gradients
in sodium chloride concentration to decide the instantaneous path for foraging,
exploration and tracking. A key neuron pair in the C. elegans chemotaxis
network is the ASEL & ASER neuron pair, which capture the gradient of
concentration sensed by the worm in their graded membrane potentials. The
primary sensory neurons for our network are a pair of artificial spiking
neurons that function as gradient detectors whose design is adapted from a
computational model of the ASE neuron pair in C. elegans. Simulations show that
our worm is able to detect the set-point with approximately four times higher
probability than the optimal memoryless Levy foraging model. We also show that
our spiking neural network is much more efficient and noise-resilient while
navigating and tracking a contour, as compared to an equivalent non-spiking
network. We demonstrate that our model is extremely robust to noise and with
slight modifications can be used for other practical applications such as
obstacle avoidance. Our network model could also be extended for use in
three-dimensional contour tracking or obstacle avoidance
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Neural reactivations during sleep determine network credit assignment.
A fundamental goal of motor learning is to establish the neural patterns that produce a desired behavioral outcome. It remains unclear how and when the nervous system solves this 'credit assignment' problem. Using neuroprosthetic learning, in which we could control the causal relationship between neurons and behavior, we found that sleep-dependent processing was required for credit assignment and the establishment of task-related functional connectivity reflecting the casual neuron-behavior relationship. Notably, we observed a strong link between the microstructure of sleep reactivations and credit assignment, with downscaling of non-causal activity. Decoupling of spiking to slow oscillations using optogenetic methods eliminated rescaling. Thus, our results suggest that coordinated firing during sleep is essential for establishing sparse activation patterns that reflect the causal neuron-behavior relationship
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Large-scale changes in cortical dynamics triggered by repetitive somatosensory electrical stimulation.
BackgroundRepetitive somatosensory electrical stimulation (SES) of forelimb peripheral nerves is a promising therapy; studies have shown that SES can improve motor function in stroke subjects with chronic deficits. However, little is known about how SES can directly modulate neural dynamics. Past studies using SES have primarily used noninvasive methods in human subjects. Here we used electrophysiological recordings from the rodent primary motor cortex (M1) to assess how SES affects neural dynamics at the level of single neurons as well as at the level of mesoscale dynamics.MethodsWe performed acute extracellular recordings in 7 intact adult Long Evans rats under ketamine-xylazine anesthesia while they received transcutaneous SES. We recorded single unit spiking and local field potentials (LFP) in the M1 contralateral to the stimulated arm. We then compared neural firing rate, spike-field coherence (SFC), and power spectral density (PSD) before and after stimulation.ResultsFollowing SES, the firing rate of a majority of neurons changed significantly from their respective baseline values. There was, however, a diversity of responses; some neurons increased while others decreased their firing rates. Interestingly, SFC, a measure of how a neuron's firing is coupled to mesoscale oscillatory dynamics, increased specifically in the δ-band, also known as the low frequency band (0.3- 4 Hz). This increase appeared to be driven by a change in the phase-locking of broad-spiking, putative pyramidal neurons. These changes in the low frequency range occurred without a significant change in the overall PSD.ConclusionsRepetitive SES significantly and persistently altered the local cortical dynamics of M1 neurons, changing both firing rates as well as the SFC magnitude in the δ-band. Thus, SES altered the neural firing and coupling to ongoing mesoscale dynamics. Our study provides evidence that SES can directly modulate cortical dynamics
Memory and information processing in neuromorphic systems
A striking difference between brain-inspired neuromorphic processors and
current von Neumann processors architectures is the way in which memory and
processing is organized. As Information and Communication Technologies continue
to address the need for increased computational power through the increase of
cores within a digital processor, neuromorphic engineers and scientists can
complement this need by building processor architectures where memory is
distributed with the processing. In this paper we present a survey of
brain-inspired processor architectures that support models of cortical networks
and deep neural networks. These architectures range from serial clocked
implementations of multi-neuron systems to massively parallel asynchronous ones
and from purely digital systems to mixed analog/digital systems which implement
more biological-like models of neurons and synapses together with a suite of
adaptation and learning mechanisms analogous to the ones found in biological
nervous systems. We describe the advantages of the different approaches being
pursued and present the challenges that need to be addressed for building
artificial neural processing systems that can display the richness of behaviors
seen in biological systems.Comment: Submitted to Proceedings of IEEE, review of recently proposed
neuromorphic computing platforms and system
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