Understanding the role of neural heterogeneity in learning

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.

Understanding the role of neural heterogeneity in learning

Watch the seminar

Event Information

Abstract

Topics

About the Speaker

Related Seminars

Cause & Consequences of neuronal Tau protein ‘activation’

OpenNeuro FitLins GLM: An Accessible, Semi-Automated Pipeline for OpenNeuro Task fMRI Analysis

The Systems Vision Science Summer School & Symposium, August 11 – 22, 2025, Tuebingen, Germany