Optimal design for hetero-associative memory: hippocampal CA1 phase response curve and spike-timing-dependent plasticity

PLoS One. 2013 Oct 24;8(10):e77395. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077395. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Recently reported experimental findings suggest that the hippocampal CA1 network stores spatio-temporal spike patterns and retrieves temporally reversed and spread-out patterns. In this paper, we explore the idea that the properties of the neural interactions and the synaptic plasticity rule in the CA1 network enable it to function as a hetero-associative memory recalling such reversed and spread-out spike patterns. In line with Lengyel's speculation (Lengyel et al., 2005), we firstly derive optimally designed spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) rules that are matched to neural interactions formalized in terms of phase response curves (PRCs) for performing the hetero-associative memory function. By maximizing object functions formulated in terms of mutual information for evaluating memory retrieval performance, we search for STDP window functions that are optimal for retrieval of normal and doubly spread-out patterns under the constraint that the PRCs are those of CA1 pyramidal neurons. The system, which can retrieve normal and doubly spread-out patterns, can also retrieve reversed patterns with the same quality. Finally, we demonstrate that purposely designed STDP window functions qualitatively conform to typical ones found in CA1 pyramidal neurons.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • CA1 Region, Hippocampal / anatomy & histology
  • CA1 Region, Hippocampal / physiology*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Evoked Potentials / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Memory / physiology*
  • Models, Neurological*
  • Nerve Net / physiology
  • Neuronal Plasticity / physiology*
  • Neurons / physiology*
  • Patch-Clamp Techniques
  • Rats
  • Synapses / physiology
  • Synaptic Transmission / physiology

Grants and funding

This work was partially supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellows [No. 12J09230 (RM)] and a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) [No. 23500375 (TA)] from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.