Platform

  • Search
  • Seminars
  • Conferences
  • Jobs

Resources

  • Submit Content
  • About Us

© 2025 World Wide

Open knowledge for all • Started with World Wide Neuro • A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization

Analytics consent required

World Wide relies on analytics signals to operate securely and keep research services available. Accept to continue, or leave the site.

Review the Privacy Policy for details about analytics processing.

World Wide
SeminarsConferencesWorkshopsCoursesJobsMapsFeedLibrary
Back to SeminarsBack
SeminarPast EventNeuroscience

Generalizing theories of cerebellum-like learning

Ashok Litwin Kumar

Prof

Columbia University

Schedule
Friday, March 19, 2021

Showing your local timezone

Schedule

Friday, March 19, 2021

3:00 PM Europe/Vienna

Host: The Neurotheory Forum

Access Seminar

Event Information

Domain

Neuroscience

Original Event

View source

Host

The Neurotheory Forum

Duration

70 minutes

Abstract

Since the theories of Marr, Ito, and Albus, the cerebellum has provided an attractive well-characterized model system to investigate biological mechanisms of learning. In recent years, theories have been developed that provide a normative account for many features of the anatomy and function of cerebellar cortex and cerebellum-like systems, including the distribution of parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synaptic weights, the expansion in neuron number of the granule cell layer and their synaptic in-degree, and sparse coding by granule cells. Typically, these theories focus on the learning of random mappings between uncorrelated inputs and binary outputs, an assumption that may be reasonable for certain forms of associative conditioning but is also quite far from accounting for the important role the cerebellum plays in the control of smooth movements. I will discuss in-progress work with Marjorie Xie, Samuel Muscinelli, and Kameron Decker Harris generalizing these learning theories to correlated inputs and general classes of smooth input-output mappings. Our studies build on earlier work in theoretical neuroscience as well as recent advances in the kernel theory of wide neural networks. They illuminate the role of pre-expansion structures in processing input stimuli and the significance of sparse granule cell activity. If there is time, I will also discuss preliminary work with Jack Lindsey extending these theories beyond cerebellum-like structures to recurrent networks.

Topics

associative learningcerebellumgeneralizationgranule cellsinput-output mappingskernel theorylearning theoriesneural networkspurkinje cellssmooth movementssparse codingsynaptic weightswide neural networks

About the Speaker

Ashok Litwin Kumar

Prof

Columbia University

Contact & Resources

Personal Website

lk.zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/index.shtml

Related Seminars

Seminar60%

Pancreatic Opioids Regulate Ingestive and Metabolic Phenotypes

neuro

Jan 12, 2025
Washington University in St. Louis
Seminar60%

Exploration and Exploitation in Human Joint Decisions

neuro

Jan 12, 2025
Munich
Seminar60%

The Role of GPCR Family Mrgprs in Itch, Pain, and Innate Immunity

neuro

Jan 12, 2025
Johns Hopkins University
January 2026
Full calendar →