Related Experiment Videos
The role of synapses in cortical computation
R J Douglas1, M Mahowald, K A Martin
1Institute of Neuroinformatics, ETH/UNIZ, Zürich, Switzerland.
Journal of Neurocytology
|December 1, 1996
Summary
Neural circuits in the neocortex perform complex computations through the collective action of many neurons. These collective actions are robust against noise, as demonstrated by electronic and computational models.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- The synapse, a key concept in interneuronal communication, has been investigated for over a century.
- Previous hypotheses on local synaptic interactions for cortical computations lack strong experimental support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the computational principles underlying neocortical functions.
- To explore how collective neuronal action achieves accurate computations despite noise.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of structural and functional studies of cortical circuits.
- Development of simple electronic and detailed computational models.
Main Results:
- Cortical functions like object recognition involve collective action in recurrent microcircuits.
- Simple electronic models capture key principles of collective neuronal action.
- Detailed models explain complex computations and robustness against noise.
Conclusions:
- Neocortical computations rely on the collective action of large neuronal ensembles.
- Computational models effectively explain the robustness of these computations against various sources of noise.