QUALITATIVE RESULTS Analysis of the weights produced by training a network is an exceedingly difficult problem, which we have only been able to approach qualitatively. In Figure 1 we present a diagram showing the connection strengths in a network with 651 input units and no hidden units.

ABSTRACT The potential for presynaptic information processing within the arbor of a single axon will be discussed in this paper. Current knowledge about the activity dependence of the firing threshold, the conditions required for conduction failure, and the similarity of nodes along a single axon will be reviewed. An electronic circuit model for a site of low conduction safety in an axon will be presented. In response to single frequency stimulation the electronic circuit acts as a lowpass filter. I. INTRODUCTION The axon is often modeled as a wire which imposes a fixed delay on a propagating signal.

ABSTRACT Transient phenomena associated with forward biased silicon p - n - n structures at 4.2K show remarkable similarities with biological neurons. The devices play a role similar to the two-terminal switching elements in Hodgkin-Huxley equivalent circuit diagrams. The devices provide simpler and more realistic neuron emulation than transistors or op-amps. They have such low power and current requirements that they could be used in massive neural networks. Some observed properties of simple circuits containing the devices include action potentials, refractory periods, threshold behavior, excitation, inhibition, summation over synaptic inputs, synaptic weights, temporal integration, memory, network connectivity modification based on experience, pacemaker activity, firing thresholds, coupling to sensors with graded signal outputs and the dependence of firing rate on input current. Transfer functions for simple artificial neurons with spiketrain inputs and spiketrain outputs have been measured and correlated with input coupling.

To illustrate the extent of this additional complexity, Fig. Input 6a shows a schematized circuit for a computational unit of method V

DISCOVERING STRUCfURE FROM MOTION IN MONKEY, MAN AND MACHINE Ralph M. Siegel· The Salk Institute of Biology, La Jolla, Ca. 92037 ABSTRACT The ability to obtain three-dimensional structure from visual motion is important for survival of human and nonhuman primates. Using a parallel processing model, the current work explores how the biological visual system might solve this problem and how the neurophysiologist might go about understanding the solution. In the present work, much effort has been expended mimicking the visual system. This was done for one main reason: the model was designed to help direct physiological experiments in the primate. It was hoped that if an approach for understanding the model could be developed, the approach could then be directed at the primate's visual system.

ABSTRACT A single cell theory for the development of selectivity and ocular dominance in visual cortex has been presented previously by Bienenstock, Cooper and Munrol. This has been extended to a network applicable to layer IV of visual cortex 2. In this paper we present a mean field approximation that captures in a fairly transparent manner the qualitative, and many of the quantitative, results of the network theory. Finally, we consider the application of this theory to artificial neural networks and show that a significant reduction in architectural complexity is possible. A SINGLE LAYER NETWORK AND THE MEAN FIELD APPROXIMATION We consider a single layer network of ideal neurons which receive signals from outside of the layer and from cells within the layer (Figure 1). The activity of the ith cell in the network is c' - m' d J d is a vector of afferent signals to the network. Each cell receives input from n fibers outside of the cortical network through the matrix of synapses mi' Intra-layer input to each cell is then transmitted through the matrix of cortico-cortical synapses L. Light circles are the LGN -cortical synapses.

There are three existing connection::;t models in which network states are assigned a computational energy.

An increasing number of profoundly deaf patients suffering from sensorineural deafness are using cochlear implants as prostheses. Mter the implant, sound can be detected through the electrical stimulation of the remaining peripheral auditory nervous system. Although great progress has been achieved in this area, no useful speech recognition has been attained with either single or multiple channel cochlear implants. Coding evidence suggests that it is necessary for any implant which would effectively couple with the natural speech perception system to simulate the temporal dispersion and other phenomena found in the natural receptors, and currently not implemented in any cochlear implants. To this end, it is presented here a computational model using artificial neural networks (ANN) to incorporate the natural phenomena in the artificial cochlear.

INTRODUCTION TO A SYSTEM FOR IMPLEMENTING NEURAL NET CONNECTIONS ON SIMD ARCHITECTURES Sherryl Tomboulian Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton VA 23665 ABSTRACT Neural networks have attracted much interest recently, and using parallel architectures to simulate neural networks is a natural and necessary application. The SIMD model of parallel computation is chosen, because systems of this type can be built with large numbers of processing elements. However, such systems are not naturally suited to generalized communication. A method is proposed that allows an implementation of neural network connections on massively parallel SIMD architectures. The key to this system is an algorithm that allows the formation of arbitrary connections between the "neurons". A feature is the ability to add new connections quickly. It also has error recovery ability and is robust over a variety of network topologies. Simulations of the general connection system, and its implementation on the Connection Machine, indicate that the time and space requirements are proportional to the product of the average number of connections per neuron and the diameter of the interconnection network.

A Computer Simulation of Olfactory Cortex With Functional Implications for Storage and Retrieval of Olfactory Information Matthew A. Wilson and James M. Bower Computation and Neural Systems Program Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 ABSTRACT Based on anatomical and physiological data, we have developed a computer simulation of piriform (olfactory) cortex which is capable of reproducing spatial and temporal patterns of actual cortical activity under a variety of conditions. Using a simple Hebb-type learning rule in conjunction with the cortical dynamics which emerge from the anatomical and physiological organization of the model, the simulations are capable of establishing cortical representations for different input patterns. The basis of these representations lies in the interaction of sparsely distributed, highly divergent/convergent interconnections between modeled neurons. We have shown that different representations can be stored with minimal interference. Further, we have demonstrated that the degree of overlap of cortical representations for different stimuli can also be modulated. Both features are presumably important in classifying olfactory stimuli.