title: Adaptive Synaptogenesis Constructs Neural Codes That Benefit Discrimination.
abstract: Intelligent organisms face a variety of tasks requiring the acquisition of expertise within a specific domain, including the ability to discriminate between a large number of similar patterns. From an energy-efficiency perspective, effective discrimination requires a prudent allocation of neural resources with more frequent patterns and their variants being represented with greater precision. In this work, we demonstrate a biologically plausible means of constructing a single-layer neural network that adaptively (i.e., without supervision) meets this criterion. Specifically, the adaptive algorithm includes synaptogenesis, synaptic shedding, and bi-directional synaptic weight modification to produce a network with outputs (i.e. neural codes) that represent input patterns proportional to the frequency of related patterns. In addition to pattern frequency, the correlational structure of the input environment also affects allocation of neural resources. The combined synaptic modification mechanisms provide an explanation of neuron allocation in the case of self-taught experts.
authors.affiliation: Informed Simplifications, LLC., Earlysville, Virginia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Blake T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Davis W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Blalock
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America.
authors.forename: William B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Levy
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology