Beyond spike timing: the role of nonlinear plasticity and unreliable synapses

Senn, Walter (2002). Beyond spike timing: the role of nonlinear plasticity and unreliable synapses. Biological cybernetics, 87(5-6), pp. 344-355. Springer 10.1007/s00422-002-0350-1

Preview

Text s00422-002-0350-1.pdf - Published Version Available under License Publisher holds Copyright. Download (371kB) | Preview

Spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) strengthens synapses that are activated immediately before a postsynaptic spike, and weakens those that are activated after a spike. To prevent an uncontrolled growth of the synaptic strengths, weakening must dominate strengthening for uncorrelated spike times. However, this weight-normalization property would preclude Hebbian potentiation when the pre- and postsynaptic neurons are strongly active without specific spike-time correlations. We show that nonlinear STDP as inherent in the data of Markram et al. [(1997) Science 275:213–215] can preserve the benefits of both weight normalization and Hebbian plasticity, and hence can account for learning based on spike-time correlations and on mean firing rates. As examples we consider the moving-threshold property of the Bienenstock–Cooper–Munro rule, the development of direction-selective simple cells by changing short-term synaptic depression, and the joint adaptation of axonal and dendritic delays. Without threshold nonlinearity at low frequencies, the development of direction selectivity does not stabilize in a natural stimulation environment. Without synaptic unreliability there is no causal development of axonal and dendritic delays.

Interest & Impact

Downloads

9 since deposited on 18 Jan 2023
9 in the past 12 months

Citations

5 Citations in Web of Science ®
6 Citations in Scopus

Search

in Google Scholar™

Services

Actions (login required)

Edit item

Actions (login required)

Edit item