Simplified two-compartment neuron with calcium dynamics capturing brain-state specific apical-amplification, -isolation and -drive

Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, vol. 19, pp. 1566196

Abstract

Mounting experimental evidence suggests the hypothesis that brain-state-specific neural mechanisms, supported by the connectome shaped by evolution, could play a crucial role in integrating past and contextual knowledge with the current, incoming flow of evidence (e.g., from sensory systems). These mechanisms would operate across multiple spatial and temporal scales, necessitating dedicated support at the levels of individual neurons and synapses. A notable feature within the neocortex is the structure of large, deep pyramidal neurons, which exhibit a distinctive separation between an apical dendritic compartment and a basal dendritic/perisomatic compartment. This separation is characterized by distinct patterns of incoming connections and three brain-state-specific activation mechanisms, namely, apical-amplification, -isolation, and drive, which have been proposed to be associated - with wakefulness, deeper NREM sleep stages, and REM sleep, respectively. The cognitive roles of apical mechanisms have been supported by experiments in behaving animals. In contrast, classical models of learning in spiking networks are based on single-compartment neurons, lacking the ability to describe the integration of apical and basal/somatic information. This work provides the computational community with a two-compartment spiking neuron model that supports the proposed forms of brain-state-specific activity. A machine learning evolutionary algorithm, guided by a set of fitness functions, selected parameters defining neurons that express the desired apical dendritic mechanisms. The resulting spiking model can be further approximated by a piece-wise linear transfer function (ThetaPlanes) for use in large-scale bio-inspired artificial intelligence systems.

Authors 8

1. Elena Pastorelli corresponding

   Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare · Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma I

   Affiliation as printed

   Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma, Rome, Italy

2. Alper Yegenoglu Aachen Department of Mathematics Institute of Geometry and Applied Mathematics

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Jülich Aachen Research Alliance · Jülich Supercomputing Centre · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Mathematics, Institute of Geometry and Applied Mathematics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

   Simulation and Data Lab Neuroscience, Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute for Advanced Simulation, JARA, Jülich Research Center, Jülich, Germany

3. Nicole Kolodziej

   Inserm · Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare · Aix-Marseille Université · Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée · Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma I · Sapienza University of Rome

   Affiliation as printed

   Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma Sapienza, Rome, Italy

   Institute of Mediterranean Neurobiology (INMED), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Turing Centre for Living Systems (CENTURI), Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France

   Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma, Rome, Italy

4. Willem A. M. Wybo

   Forschungszentrum Jülich

   Affiliation as printed

   Peter Grünberg Institute 15 - Neuromorphic Software Ecosystems, Jülich Research Center, Jülich, Germany

5. Francesco Simula

   Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare · Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma I

   Affiliation as printed

   Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma, Rome, Italy

6. Sandra Diaz-Pier

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Jülich Aachen Research Alliance · Jülich Supercomputing Centre

   Affiliation as printed

   Simulation and Data Lab Neuroscience, Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute for Advanced Simulation, JARA, Jülich Research Center, Jülich, Germany

7. Johan Frederik Storm

   University of Oslo

   Affiliation as printed

   Brain Signaling Group, Section for Physiology, Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

8. Pier Stanislao Paolucci corresponding

   Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare · Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma I

   Affiliation as printed

   Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma, Rome, Italy