Combining neuropharmacological experiments with computational modeling, we have 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 between cells 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.

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.

It has been known for many years that specific regions of the working cerebral cortex display periodic variations in correlated cellular activity. While the olfactory system has been the focus of much of this work, similar behavior has recently been observed in primary visual cortex. We have developed models of both the olfactory and visual cortex which replicate the observed oscillatory properties of these networks. Using these models we have examined the dependence of oscillatory behavior on single cell properties and network architectures. We discuss the idea that the oscillatory events recorded from cerebral cortex may be intrinsic to the architecture of cerebral cortex as a whole, and that these rhythmic patterns may be important in coordinating neuronal activity during sensory processmg.

It has been known for many years that specific regions of the working cerebralcortex display periodic variations in correlated cellular activity. While the olfactory system has been the focus of much of this work, similar behavior has recently been observed in primary visual cortex. We have developed models of both the olfactory and visual cortex which replicate the observed oscillatory properties ofthese networks. Using these models we have examined the dependence of oscillatory behavior on single cell properties and network architectures.We discuss the idea that the oscillatory events recorded from cerebral cortex may be intrinsic to the architecture of cerebral cortex as a whole, and that these rhythmic patterns may be important in coordinating neuronal activity during sensory processmg.

It has been known for many years that specific regions of the working cerebral cortex display periodic variations in correlated cellular activity. While the olfactory system has been the focus of much of this work, similar behavior has recently been observed in primary visual cortex. We have developed models of both the olfactory and visual cortex which replicate the observed oscillatory properties of these networks. Using these models we have examined the dependence of oscillatory behavior on single cell properties and network architectures. We discuss the idea that the oscillatory events recorded from cerebral cortex may be intrinsic to the architecture of cerebral cortex as a whole, and that these rhythmic patterns may be important in coordinating neuronal activity during sensory processmg.

It is well-known that neural responses in particular brain regions are spatially organized, but no general principles have been developed thatrelate the structure of a brain map to the nature of the associated computation. On parallel computers, maps of a sort quite similar to brain maps arise when a computation is distributed across multiple processors. In this paper we will discuss the relationship betweenmaps and computations on these computers and suggest how similar considerations might also apply to maps in the brain. 1 INTRODUCTION A great deal of effort in experimental and theoretical neuroscience is devoted to recording and interpreting spatial patterns of neural activity. A variety of map patterns have been observed in different brain regions and, presumably, these patterns reflectsomething about the nature of the neural computations being carried out in these regions. To date, however, there have been no general principles for interpreting the structure of a brain map in terms of properties of the associated computation. In the field of parallel computing, analogous maps arise when a computation isdistributed across multiple processors and, in this case, the relationship Computational Eftkiency 61 between maps and computations is better understood. In this paper, we will attempt torelate some of the mapping principles from the field of parallel computing to the organization of brain maps.

Published by AlP Press, New York, N.Y (1988).

Published by AlP Press, New York, N.Y (1988).

The weakly electric fish, Gnathonemus peters;;, explores its environment by generating pulsedelecbic fields and detecting small pertwbations in the fields resulting from nearby objects. Accordingly, the fISh detects and discriminates objects on the basis of a sequence of elecbic "images" whose temporal and spatial properties depend on the timing ofthe fish's electric organ discharge and its body position relative to objects in its environmenl Weare interested in investigating how these fish utilize timing and body-position during exploration to aid in object discrimination. We have developed a fmite-element simulation of the fish's self-generated electric fields so as to reconstruct the electrosensory consequencesof body position and electric organ discharge timing in the fish. This paper describes this finite-element simulation system and presents preliminary electric fieldmeasurements which are being used to tune the simulation.

We have used analog VLSI technology to model a class of small oscillating biologicalneural circuits known as central pattern generators (CPG). These circuits generate rhythmic patterns of activity which drive locomotor behaviour in the animal. We have designed, fabricated, and tested a model neuron circuit which relies on many of the same mechanisms as a biological central pattern generator neuron, such as delays and internal feedback. We show that this neuron can be used to build several small circuits based on known biological CPG circuits, and that these circuits produce patterns of output which are very similar to the observed biological patterns. To date, researchers in applied neural networks have tended to focus on mammalian systemsas the primary source of potentially useful biological information.