Nonlinear transient amplification in recurrent neural networks with short-term plasticity

eLife

Friedemann Zenke¹  Yue Kris Wu² 

[1] Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland;Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland;Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland;Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland;Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt, Germany;School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany;

关键词: computational neuroscience;    recurrent neural networks;    network dynamics;    transient amplification;    spiking neural networks;    short-term plasticity;    None;   

DOI  :  10.7554/eLife.71263

来源: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd

【 摘 要 】

To rapidly process information, neural circuits have to amplify specific activity patterns transiently. How the brain performs this nonlinear operation remains elusive. Hebbian assemblies are one possibility whereby strong recurrent excitatory connections boost neuronal activity. However, such Hebbian amplification is often associated with dynamical slowing of network dynamics, non-transient attractor states, and pathological run-away activity. Feedback inhibition can alleviate these effects but typically linearizes responses and reduces amplification gain. Here, we study nonlinear transient amplification (NTA), a plausible alternative mechanism that reconciles strong recurrent excitation with rapid amplification while avoiding the above issues. NTA has two distinct temporal phases. Initially, positive feedback excitation selectively amplifies inputs that exceed a critical threshold. Subsequently, short-term plasticity quenches the run-away dynamics into an inhibition-stabilized network state. By characterizing NTA in supralinear network models, we establish that the resulting onset transients are stimulus selective and well-suited for speedy information processing. Further, we find that excitatory-inhibitory co-tuning widens the parameter regime in which NTA is possible in the absence of persistent activity. In summary, NTA provides a parsimonious explanation for how excitatory-inhibitory co-tuning and short-term plasticity collaborate in recurrent networks to achieve transient amplification.

【 授权许可】

CC BY