SOM-Model for the Development of Oriented Receptive Fields and Orientation Maps from Non-Oriented ON-center OFF-center Inputs

. We investigate the development of oriented receptive fields and an orientation map in a SOM-model which is driven by rotationally symmetric stimuli in ON-center and OFF-center input layers. To this end we use the high-dimensional variant of the SOM-algorithm which allows to develop the internal structure of receptive fields as well as the layout of a neural map. We calculate a state diagram for this model, identify parameter regimes in which the rotational symmetry of the stimuli is broken, corroborate the analytical results by simulations, and investigate an extended version of the model which includes ocular dominance development. 1 Introduction Many aspects of the development of individual receptive fields, and of topographic neural maps have been explained by activity-driven self-organization processes. Assumptions about underlying mechanisms can be cast in mathematical form in such a general fashion that many phenomena, even in different sensory modalities, can be explained wit..