Firing rate distributions in plastic networks of spiking neurons

In recurrent networks of leaky integrate-and-fire neurons, the mean-field theory has been instrumental in capturing the statistical properties of neuronal activity, like firing rate distributions. This theory has been applied to networks with either homogeneous synaptic weights and heterogeneous con...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Vegué Llorente, Marina|||0000-0001-7065-8623, Allard, Antoine, Desrosiers, Patrick
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/438811
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/438811
https://dx.doi.org/10.1162/netn_a_00442
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Neural networks
Structural heterogeneity
Synaptic plasticity
Mean-field approach
Leaky integrate-and-fire neurons
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Descripción
Sumario:In recurrent networks of leaky integrate-and-fire neurons, the mean-field theory has been instrumental in capturing the statistical properties of neuronal activity, like firing rate distributions. This theory has been applied to networks with either homogeneous synaptic weights and heterogeneous connections per neuron or vice versa. Our work expands mean-field models to include networks with both types of structural heterogeneity simultaneously, particularly focusing on those with synapses that undergo plastic changes. The model introduces a spike trace for each neuron, a variable that rises with neuron spikes and decays without activity, influenced by a degradation rate rp and the neuron’s firing rate ¿. When the ratio a = ¿/rp is significantly high, this trace effectively estimates the neuron’s firing rate, allowing synaptic weights at equilibrium to be determined by the firing rates of connected neurons. This relationship is incorporated into our mean-field formalism, providing exact solutions for firing rate and synaptic weight distributions at equilibrium in the high a regime. However, the model remains accurate within a practical range of degradation rates, as demonstrated through simulations with networks of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. This approach sheds light on how plasticity modulates both activity and structure within neuronal networks, offering insights into their complex behavior.