Title
Evolution and Analysis of Embodied Spiking Neural Networks Reveals Task-Specific Clusters of Effective Networks.
Abstract
Elucidating principles that underlie computation in neural networks is currently a major research topic of interest in neuroscience. Transfer Entropy (TE) is increasingly used as a tool to bridge the gap between network structure, function, and behavior in fMRI studies. Computational models allow us to bridge the gap even further by directly associating individual neuron activity with behavior. However, most computational models that have analyzed embodied behaviors have employed non-spiking neurons. On the other hand, computational models that employ spiking neural networks tend to be restricted to disembodied tasks. We show for the fi€rst time the artifi€cial evolution and TE-analysis of embodied spiking neural networks to perform a cognitively-interesting behavior. Speci€fically, we evolved an agent controlled by an Izhikevich neural network to perform a visual categorization task. Œe smallest networks capable of performing the task were found by repeating evolutionary runs with di‚fferent network sizes. Informational analysis of the best solution revealed task-specifi€c TE-network clusters, suggesting that within-task homogeneity and across-task heterogeneity were key to behavioral success. Moreover, analysis of the ensemble of solutions revealed that task-speci€ficity of TE-network clusters correlated with fi€tness. ThŒis provides an empirically testable hypothesis that links network structure to behavior.
Year
DOI
Venue
2017
10.1145/3071178.3071336
Proceedings of the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference
Keywords
Field
DocType
Spiking Neural networks, Evolutionary algorithms, Transfer Entropy, Information Theory, Evolutionary Robotics
Information theory,Categorization,Transfer entropy,Evolutionary algorithm,Evolutionary robotics,Computer science,Computational model,Artificial intelligence,Spiking neural network,Artificial neural network,Machine learning
Journal
Volume
Citations 
PageRank 
abs/1704.04199
0
0.34
References 
Authors
11
2
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Madhavun Candadai Vasu100.34
Eduardo Izquierdo2467.91