We describe a computational model of the development and regeneration ofspecific eye-brain circuits. The model comprises a self-organizing map-forming network which uses local Hebb rules, constrained by (genetically determined) molecular markers. Various simulations of the development and regeneration of eye-brain maps in fish and frogs are described, in particular successful simulations of experiments by Schmidt-Cicerone-Easter; Meyer; and Yoon. 1 INTRODUCTION In a previous paper published in last years proceedings (Cowan & Friedman 1990) we outlined a new computational model for the development and regeneration of eye-brain maps. We indicated that such a model can simulate the results of a number of the more complicated surgical manipulations carried out on the visual pathways of goldfish and frogs. In this paper we describe in more detail some of these experiments, and our simulations of them.

James M. Bower Computation and Neural Systems Caltech 216-76 Pasadena, CA 91125 Combining neuropharmacological experiments with computational modeling, wehave shown that cholinergic modulation may enhance associative memory function in piriform (olfactory) cortex. We have shown that the acetylcholine analogue carbachol selectively suppresses synaptic transmission betweencells within piriform cortex, while leaving input connections unaffected. When tested in a computational model of piriform cortex, this selective suppression, applied during learning, enhances associative memory performance.

A massively parallel, all-digital, stochastic architecture - TlnMAN N - is described which performs competitive and Kohonen types of learning. A VLSI design is shown for a TlnMANN neuron which fits within a small, inexpensive MOSIS TinyChip frame, yet which can be used to build larger networks of several hundred neurons. The neuron operates at a speed of 15 MHz which allows the network to process 290,000 training examples per second. Use of level sensitive scan logic provides the chip with 100% fault coverage, permitting very reliable neural systems to be built.

In response to a puff of wind, the American cockroach turns away and runs. The circuit underlying the initial turn of this escape response consists of three populations of individually identifiable nerve cells and appears to employ distributedrepresentations in its operation. We have reconstructed several neuronal and behavioral properties of this system using simplified neural network models and the backpropagation learning algorithm constrained byknown structural characteristics of the circuitry. In order to test and refine the model, we have also compared the model's responses to various lesions with the insect's responses to similar lesions.

Spokeninput to computers, however, has yet to pass the threshold of practicality.

We describe a recurrent connectionist network, called CONCERT, that uses a set of melodies written in a given style to compose new melodies in that style. CONCERT is an extension of a traditional algorithmic composition technique inwhich transition tables specify the probability of the next note as a function of previous context. A central ingredient of CONCERT is the use of a psychologically-grounded representation of pitch.

A recurrent back-propagation neural network architecture was then designed to numerically estimate the parameters of an optimal nonlinear control law for landing theaircraft. The performance of the network was then evaluated.

K. Schulten Beckman-Insti t ute University of Illinois Urbana, IL 61801 Feature selective cells in the primary visual cortex of several species are organized inhierarchical topographic maps of stimulus features like "position in visual space", "orientation" and" ocular dominance". In order to understand anddescribe their spatial structure and their development, we investigate aself-organizing neural network model based on the feature map algorithm. The model explains map formation as a dimension-reducing mapping from a high-dimensional feature space onto a two-dimensional lattice, such that "similarity" between features (or feature combinations) is translated into "spatial proximity" between the corresponding feature selective cells. The model is able to reproduce several aspects of the spatial structure of cortical maps in the visual cortex. 1 Introduction Cortical maps are functionally defined structures of the cortex, which are characterized byan ordered spatial distribution of functionally specialized cells along the cortical surface. In the primary visual area(s) the response properties of these cells must be described by several independent features, and there is a strong tendency to map combinations of these features onto the cortical surface in a way that translates "similarity" into "spatial proximity" of the corresponding feature selective cells (see e.g.

Multi-layer perceptrons are often slow to learn nonlinear functions with complex local structure due to the global nature of their function approximations. It is shown that standard multi-layer perceptrons are actually a special case of a more general network formulation that incorporates B-splines into the node computations. This allows novel spline network architectures to be developed that can combine the generalization capabilities and scaling properties of global multi-layer feedforward networks with the computational efficiency and learning speed of local computational paradigms. Simulation results are presented for the well known spiral problem of Weiland and of Lang and Witbrock to show the effectiveness of the Spline Net approach.

There have been very few demonstrations ofthe application ofVLSI neural networks to real world problems. Yet there are many signal processing, pattern recognition or optimization problems where a large number of competing hypotheses need to be explored in parallel, most often in real time. The massive parallelism of VLSI neural network devices, with one multiplier circuit per synapse, is ideally suited to such problems. In this paper, we present preliminary results from our design for a real time robot navigation system based on VLSI neural network modules. This is a - Also: RSRE, Great Malvern, Worcester, WR14 3PS 422 Real-time Autonomous Robot Navigation Using VLSI Neural Networks 423 real world problem which has not been fully solved by traditional AI methods; even when partial solutions have been proposed and implemented, these have required vast computational resources, usually remote from the robot and linked to it via an umbilical cord. 2 OVERVIEW The aim of our work is to develop an autonomous vehicle capable of real-time navigation, including obstacle avoidance, in a known indoor environment.