ePoster

Shaping Low-Rank Recurrent Neural Networks with Biological Learning Rules

Pablo Crespo, Dimitra Maoutsa, Matthew Getz, Julijana Gjorgjieva
Bernstein Conference 2024(2024)
Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

Conference

Bernstein Conference 2024

Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

Resources

Authors & Affiliations

Pablo Crespo, Dimitra Maoutsa, Matthew Getz, Julijana Gjorgjieva

Abstract

Extensive experimental evidence shows that task-relevant neural population dynamics often evolve along trajectories constrained to low-dimensional subspaces [1, 2]. However, how these low-dimensional task representations emerge through learning, and how the neural activity interacts with synaptic plasticity is still an unresolved question. The recent theoretical framework of low-rank recurrent neural networks (lr-RNNs) provides a direct link between connectivity and dynamics by relating structured patterns embedded in the network connectivity to the resulting low-dimensional dynamics [3]. We expand upon this framework by analyzing how local plasticity rules such as Hebbian-like, applied to lr-RNNs, shape the network's connectivity and resulting dynamics in spontaneous and input-driven regimes. We identify that Hebbian-like rules result in single-rank updates which interact with the low-rank dynamics in a differential fashion which is state-dependent. Motivated by these insights, we employ Simulation Based Inference [4] within a teacher-student paradigm to identify plasticity rules in the general polynomial class of functions over firing rates which enable learning context-dependent, low-dimensional trajectories within a single recurrent network. Our work offers insights into the potential mechanisms through which neural circuits may develop and structure the computations underlying diverse cognitive abilities.

Unique ID: bernstein-24/shaping-low-rank-recurrent-neural-9e3c69df