Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience (Dec 2016)
Implementing Signature Neural Networks with Spiking Neurons
Abstract
Spiking Neural Networks constitute the most promising approach to develop realistic ArtificialNeural Networks (ANNs). Unlike traditional firing rate-based paradigms, information coding inspiking models is based on the precise timing of individual spikes. Spiking ANNs can be successfully and efficiently applied to multiple realistic problems solvable with traditional strategies (e.g., data classification or pattern recognition). In recent years, majorbreakthroughs in neuroscience research have discovered new relevant computational principles indifferent living neural systems. Could ANNs benefit from some of these recent findings providingnovel elements of inspiration? This is an intriguing question and the development of spiking ANNsincluding novel bio-inspired information coding and processing strategies is gaining attention. Fromthis perspective, in this work, we adapt the core concepts of the recently proposed SignatureNeural Network paradigm – i.e., neural signatures to identify each unit in the network, localinformation contextualization during the processing and multicoding strategies for informationpropagation regarding the origin and the content of the data – to be employed in a spiking neuralnetwork. To the best of our knowledge, none of these mechanisms have been used yet in thecontext of ANNs of spiking neurons. This paper provides a proof-of-concept for their applicabilityin such networks. Computer simulations show that a simple network model like the discussed hereexhibits complex self-organizing properties. The combination of multiple simultaneous encodingschemes allows the network to generate coexisting spatio-temporal patterns of activity encodinginformation in different spatio-temporal spaces. As a function of the network and/or intra-unitparameters shaping the corresponding encoding modality, different forms of competition amongthe evoked patterns can emerge even in the absence of inhibitory connections. These parametersalso modulate the memory capabilities of the network. The dynamical modes observed in thedifferent informational dimensions in a given moment are independent and they only depend onthe parameters shaping the information processing in this dimension. We argue that plasticity mechanisms inside individual cells and multicoding strategies can provide additional computational properties to spiking neural networks, which could enhance their capacity and performance in a wide variety of real-world tasks.
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