How Neuronal Noises Influence the Spiking Neural Networks's Cognitive Learning Process: A Preliminary Study

Brain Sci. 2021 Jan 25;11(2):153. doi: 10.3390/brainsci11020153.

Abstract

In neuroscience, the Default Mode Network (DMN), also known as the default network or the default-state network, is a large-scale brain network known to have highly correlated activities that are distinct from other networks in the brain. Many studies have revealed that DMNs can influence other cognitive functions to some extent. This paper is motivated by this idea and intends to further explore on how DMNs could help Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) on image classification problems through an experimental study. The approach emphasizes the bionic meaning on model selection and parameters settings. For modeling, we select Leaky Integrate-and-Fire (LIF) as the neuron model, Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) as the input DMN, and design the learning algorithm based on Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity (STDP). Then, we experiment on a two-layer SNN to evaluate the influence of DMN on classification accuracy, and on a three-layer SNN to examine the influence of DMN on structure evolution, where the results both appear positive. Finally, we discuss possible directions for future works.

Keywords: cognitive function; neuronal noise; spiking neural network.