A Mean Field Theory of Layer IV of Visual Cortex and Its Application to Artificial Neural Networks

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 cortex2 . 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. ASINGLE LAYER NETWORK AND THE MEAN FIELD APPROXIMATION We consider a receive signals from the layer (Figure 1).