Abstract
We discuss effects of various experimentally supported STDP learning rules on frequency synchronization of two unidirectional coupled neurons systematically. First, we show that synchronization windows for all STDP rules cannot be enhanced compared to constant connection under the same model. Then, we explore the influence of learning parameters on synchronization window and find optimal parameters that lead to the widest window. Our findings indicate that synchronization strongly depends on the specific shape and the parameters of the STDP update rules. Thus, we give some explanations by analyzing the synchronization mechanisms for various STDP rules finally.
Highlights
Synchronous activity is a basic characteristic in the brain
We investigate the width of synchronization window of various Spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) curves, with the same set of parameters
Inspired by previous experiments and theoretical researches, we study the important aspects of STDP-induced synchronization in this paper, such as the role of various STDP rule in synchronization, the widest synchronization window through regulating learning parameters, and synchronization mechanism
Summary
Synchronous activity is a basic characteristic in the brain. It exists in many regions of the brain, such as CA1 of the hippocampus [1], visual cortex [2] and cortical areas correlating with conscious perception [3]. The continuous STDP(cSTDP, see Section 2) has been studied [31] by the same authors They suggest that a functional role of STDP might be enhancing synchronization. As a result, when we seek the reason, we discover that the synchronization mechanisms of above four STDP rules can be classified into two categories: (i) c-STDP and dc-aSTDP rules; (ii) dc-STDP and inSTDP rules. For c-STDP and dc-aSTDP rules, two neurons’ synchronization either relies on the balancing out potentiation and depression during one cycle consistent with the perspective of Nowotny et al or relies on the maximal synaptic conductance. For dc-STDP and in-STDP rules, the synchronization windows are completely provided by the respective maximal synaptic conductance. As regards this finding, we offer an intuitive explanation
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
