Putting Plasticity in Its Place

Josef H L P Sadowski,Jack R Mellor

doi:10.3389/fnins.2012.00110

Abstract

FRONTIERS COMMENTARY article Front. Neurosci., 13 July 2012 Volume 6 - 2012 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2012.00110

Highlights

Bush et al present a neural network model describing how a cognitive map based on empirical findings from hippocampal electrophysiology could function in order to encode space and enable sequence learning
Connection strengths are fully modifiable and are governed by spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) rules based on empirical findings from hippocampal cultures (Bi and Poo, 1998; Debanne et al, 1998; Wang et al, 2005)
When the network experiences neural activity corresponding to a series of shuttle runs across a square arena, heteroassociative connections between activated place cells become potentiated, cells with overlapping place fields develop strong bidirectional connections and asymmetric connections between cells against the direction of motion become depressed

Summary

Introduction

Bush et al present a neural network model describing how a cognitive map based on empirical findings from hippocampal electrophysiology could function in order to encode space and enable sequence learning. When the network experiences neural activity corresponding to a series of shuttle runs across a square arena, heteroassociative connections between activated place cells become potentiated, cells with overlapping place fields develop strong bidirectional connections and asymmetric connections between cells against the direction of motion become depressed.

Results

Conclusion