Effects of Synaptic and Myelin Plasticity on Learning in a Network of Kuramoto Phase Oscillators

Models of learning typically focus on synaptic plasticity. However, learning is the result of both synaptic and myelin plasticity. Specifically, synaptic changes often co-occur and interact with myelin changes, leading to complex dynamic interactions between these processes. Here, we investigate the implications of these interactions for the coupling behavior of a system of Kuramoto oscillators. To that end, we construct a fully connected, one-dimensional ring network of phase oscillators whose coupling strength (reflecting synaptic strength) as well as conduction velocity (reflecting myelination) are each regulated by a Hebbian learning rule. We evaluate the behavior of the system in terms of structural (pairwise connection strength and conduction velocity) and functional connectivity (local and global synchronization behavior). We find that for conditions in which a system limited to synaptic plasticity develops two distinct clusters both structurally and functionally, additional adaptive myelination allows for functional communication across these structural clusters. Hence, dynamic conduction velocity permits the functional integration of structurally segregated clusters. Our results confirm that network states following learning may be different when myelin plasticity is considered in addition to synaptic plasticity, pointing towards the relevance of integrating both factors in computational models of learning.Comment: 39 pages, 15 figures This work is submitted in Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Scienc

The role of the medial geniculate body of the thalamus in the pathophysiology of tinnitus and implications for treatment

Tinnitus is an auditory sensation in the absence of actual external stimulation. Different clinical interventions are used in tinnitus treatment, but only few patients respond to available options. The lack of successful tinnitus treatment is partly due to the limited knowledge about the mechanisms underlying tinnitus. Recently, the auditory part of the thalamus has gained attention as a central structure in the neuropathophysiology of tinnitus. Increased thalamic spontaneous firing rate, bursting activity and oscillations, alongside an increase of GABAergic tonic inhibition have been shown in the auditory thalamus in animal models of tinnitus. In addition, clinical neuroimaging studies have shown structural and functional thalamic changes with tinnitus. This review provides a systematic overview and discussion of these observations that support a central role of the auditory thalamus in tinnitus. Based on this approach, a neuromodulative treatment option for tinnitus is proposed

26th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting (CNS*2017): Part 3 - Meeting Abstracts - Antwerp, Belgium. 15–20 July 2017

This work was produced as part of the activities of FAPESP Research,\ud Disseminations and Innovation Center for Neuromathematics (grant\ud 2013/07699-0, S. Paulo Research Foundation). NLK is supported by a\ud FAPESP postdoctoral fellowship (grant 2016/03855-5). ACR is partially\ud supported by a CNPq fellowship (grant 306251/2014-0)

Modelling human choices: MADeM and decision‑making

Research supported by FAPESP 2015/50122-0 and DFG-GRTK 1740/2. RP and AR are also part of the Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center for Neuromathematics FAPESP grant (2013/07699-0). RP is supported by a FAPESP scholarship (2013/25667-8). ACR is partially supported by a CNPq fellowship (grant 306251/2014-0)

Personal Data and Consumer Protection: What do They Have in Common?

Il legislatore europeo disciplina il trattamento dei dati personali e la tutela dei diritti dei consumatori con due approcci che presentano numerosi punti di contatto. La legislazione europea sul trattamento dei dati personali e quella a disciplina dei contratti conclusi tra l'impresa e il consumatore si concentrano sulla protezione di un soggetto più debole e sembrano adoperare simili strumenti giuridici: l'obbligo di fornire adeguate informazioni, il riconoscimento di diritti specifici per i consumatori e per gli interessati (in particolare, il diritto di recesso) e la previsione di norme sul contenzioso favorevoli alla parte più debole del rapporto. Questo articolo analizza le somiglianze esistenti tra le tecniche normative adottate dalla legislazione attuale al fine di determinare il livello di protezione garantito all'interessato del trattamento dei dati e al consumatore e allo scopo di verificare se un approccio olistico al tema possa risultare adeguato o, quantomeno, auspicabile.The European legislature deals with personal-data and consumer protection with two approaches which have a lot in common. Both the European law on the processing of personal data and that on B2C contracts focus on the protection of a weaker subject and they seem to be based on similar legal instruments: the information requirements, the recognition of specific rights to consumers and data subjects (in particular, the right to withdraw) and the provision of favourable litigation rules for the weaker party. This paper analyses the similarities existing between regulatory techniques adopted by the present legislation in order to determine the level of protection granted and whether a holistic approach to the subject is possible or desirable

Reactie

Copia digital. Madrid : Ministerio de Cultura. Subdirección General de Coordinación Bibliotecaria, 200

The nature of neural object representations during dynamic occlusion

Objects disappearing briefly from sight due to occlusion is an inevitable occurrence in everyday life. Yet we generally have a strong experience that occluded objects continue to exist, despite the fact that they objectively disappear. This indicates that neural object representations must be maintained during dynamic occlusion. However, it is unclear what the nature of such representation is and in particular whether it is perception-like or more abstract, for example, reflecting limited features such as position or movement direction only. In this study, we address this question by examining how different object features such as object shape, luminance, and position are represented in the brain when a moving object is dynamically occluded. We apply multivariate decoding methods to Magnetoencephalography (MEG) data to track how object representations unfold over time. Our methods allow us to contrast the representations of multiple object features during occlusion and enable us to compare the neural responses evoked by visible and occluded objects. The results show that object position information is represented during occlusion to a limited extent while object identity features are not maintained through the period of occlusion. Together, this suggests that the nature of object representations during dynamic occlusion is different from visual representations during perception

Doorlichting verkiezingsprogramma's 2017. De rechtsstaat, een quick scan: de partijprogramma's voor de verkiezingen 2017 rechtsstatelijk?

Effective Protection of Fundamental Rights in a pluralist worl