Understanding the role of neural heterogeneity in learning
Schedule
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
17:10 UTC
Nicolas Perez-Nieves
Dr
Imperial College London
Host: SNUFA
Recording
Open recording
Event Information
Recording
Available
Host
SNUFA
Duration
70 minutes
Abstract
The brain has a hugely diverse and heterogeneous nature. The exact role of heterogeneity has been relatively little explored as most neural models tend to be largely homogeneous. We trained spiking neural networks with varying degrees of heterogeneity on complex real-world tasks and found that heterogeneity resulted in more stable and robust training and improved training performance, especially for tasks with a higher temporal structure. Moreover, the optimal distribution of parameters found by training was found to be similar to experimental observations. These findings suggest that heterogeneity is not simply a result of noisy biological processes, but it may play a crucial role for learning in complex, changing environments.
Topics
Related Job Opportunities
JobJobJob
PhD Studentship: Mitochondrial Metabolism and Novel Therapeutic Strategies for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) (Fixed Term)
A fully funded University of Cambridge PhD studentship, supported by Novo Nordisk, will investigate how mitochondrial metabolism changes during metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver…
Posted Aug 10, 2026
Research Associate (Fixed Term)
Kathy Niakan's laboratory at the Loke Centre for Trophoblast Research is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to study early lineage specification in human pre- and early post-implantation embryos.…
Posted Aug 11, 2026
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Research Assistant/Associate (Fixed Term)
A fixed-term research position in the laboratories of Ole Paulsen and Jasper Poort will study neural mechanisms of visual learning in mice. The project combines patch-clamp electrophysiology…
Posted Aug 11, 2026
Cambridge, United Kingdom