Extended memory lifetime in spiking neural networks employing memristive synapses with nonlinear conductance dynamics.

Spiking neural networks (SNNs) employing memristive synapses are capable of life-long online learning. Because of their ability to process and classify large amounts of data in real-time using compact and low-power electronic systems, they promise a substantial technology breakthrough. However, the critical issue that memristor-based SNNs have to face is the fundamental limitation in their memory capacity due to finite resolution of the synaptic elements, which leads to the replacement of old memories with new ones and to a finite memory lifetime. In this study we demonstrate that the nonlinear conductance dynamics of memristive devices can be exploited to improve the memory lifetime of a network. The network is simulated on the basis of a spiking neuron model of mixed-signal digital-analogue sub-threshold neuromorphic CMOS circuits, and on memristive synapse models derived from the experimental nonlinear conductance dynamics of resistive memory devices when stimulated by trains of identical pulses. The network learning circuits implement a spike-based plasticity rule compatible with both spike-timing and rate-based learning rules. In order to get an insight on the memory lifetime of the network, we analyse the learning dynamics in the context of a classical benchmark of neural network learning, that is hand-written digit classification. In the proposed architecture, the memory lifetime and the performance of the network are improved for memristive synapses with nonlinear dynamics with respect to linear synapses with similar resolution. These results demonstrate the importance of following holistic approaches that combine the study of theoretical learning models with the development of neuromorphic CMOS SNNs with memristive devices used to implement life-long on-chip learning.

STDP and STDP variations with memristors for spiking neuromorphic learning systems.

In this paper we review several ways of realizing asynchronous Spike-Timing-Dependent-Plasticity (STDP) using memristors as synapses. Our focus is on how to use individual memristors to implement synaptic weight multiplications, in a way such that it is not necessary to (a) introduce global synchronization and (b) to separate memristor learning phases from memristor performing phases. In the approaches described, neurons fire spikes asynchronously when they wish and memristive synapses perform computation and learn at their own pace, as it happens in biological neural systems. We distinguish between two different memristor physics, depending on whether they respond to the original "moving wall" or to the "filament creation and annihilation" models. Independent of the memristor physics, we discuss two different types of STDP rules that can be implemented with memristors: either the pure timing-based rule that takes into account the arrival time of the spikes from the pre- and the post-synaptic neurons, or a hybrid rule that takes into account only the timing of pre-synaptic spikes and the membrane potential and other state variables of the post-synaptic neuron. We show how to implement these rules in cross-bar architectures that comprise massive arrays of memristors, and we discuss applications for artificial vision.

A Model of Stimulus-Specific Adaptation in Neuromorphic Analog VLSI.

Stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA) is a phenomenon observed in neural systems which occurs when the spike count elicited in a single neuron decreases with repetitions of the same stimulus, and recovers when a different stimulus is presented. SSA therefore effectively highlights rare events in stimulus sequences, and suppresses responses to repetitive ones. In this paper we present a model of SSA based on synaptic depression and describe its implementation in neuromorphic analog very-large-scale integration (VLSI). The hardware system is evaluated using biologically realistic spike trains with parameters chosen to reflect those of the stimuli used in physiological experiments. We examine the effect of input parameters and stimulus history upon SSA and show that the trends apparent in the results obtained in silico compare favorably with those observed in biological neurons.

Real-Time Classification of Complex Patterns Using Spike-Based Learning in Neuromorphic VLSI.

Real-time classification of patterns of spike trains is a difficult computational problem that both natural and artificial networks of spiking neurons are confronted with. The solution to this problem not only could contribute to understanding the fundamental mechanisms of computation used in the biological brain, but could also lead to efficient hardware implementations of a wide range of applications ranging from autonomous sensory-motor systems to brain-machine interfaces. Here we demonstrate real-time classification of complex patterns of mean firing rates, using a VLSI network of spiking neurons and dynamic synapses which implement a robust spike-driven plasticity mechanism. The learning rule implemented is a supervised one: a teacher signal provides the output neuron with an extra input spike-train during training, in parallel to the spike-trains that represent the input pattern. The teacher signal simply indicates if the neuron should respond to the input pattern with a high rate or with a low one. The learning mechanism modifies the synaptic weights only as long as the current generated by all the stimulated plastic synapses does not match the output desired by the teacher, as in the perceptron learning rule. We describe the implementation of this learning mechanism and present experimental data that demonstrate how the VLSI neural network can learn to classify patterns of neural activities, also in the case in which they are highly correlated.

Orientation-selective aVLSI spiking neurons.

We describe a programmable multi-chip VLSI neuronal system that can be used for exploring spike-based information processing models. The system consists of a silicon retina, a PIC microcontroller, and a transceiver chip whose integrate-and-fire neurons are connected in a soft winner-take-all architecture. The circuit on this multi-neuron chip approximates a cortical microcircuit. The neurons can be configured for different computational properties by the virtual connections of a selected set of pixels on the silicon retina. The virtual wiring between the different chips is effected by an event-driven communication protocol that uses asynchronous digital pulses, similar to spikes in a neuronal system. We used the multi-chip spike-based system to synthesize orientation-tuned neurons using both a feedforward model and a feedback model. The performance of our analog hardware spiking model matched the experimental observations and digital simulations of continuous-valued neurons. The multi-chip VLSI system has advantages over computer neuronal models in that it is real-time, and the computational time does not scale with the size of the neuronal network.

A neuromorphic VLSI device for implementing 2-D selective attention systems.

Selective attention is a mechanism used to sequentially select and process salient subregions of the input space, while suppressing inputs arriving from nonsalient regions. By processing small amounts of sensory information in a serial fashion, rather than attempting to process all the sensory data in parallel, this mechanism overcomes the problem of flooding limited processing capacity systems with sensory inputs. It is found in many biological systems and can be a useful engineering tool for developing artificial systems that need to process in real-time sensory data. In this paper we present a neuromorphic hardware model of a selective attention mechanism implemented on a very large scale integration (VLSI) chip, using analog circuits. The chip makes use of a spike-based representation for receiving input signals, transmitting output signals and for shifting the selection of the attended input stimulus over time. It can be interfaced to neuromorphic sensors and actuators, for implementing multichip selective attention systems. We describe the characteristics of the circuits used in the architecture and present experimental data measured from the system.

Modeling selective attention using a neuromorphic analog VLSI device.

Attentional mechanisms are required to overcome the problem of flooding a limited processing capacity system with information. They are present in biological sensory systems and can be a useful engineering tool for artificial visual systems. In this article we present a hardware model of a selective attention mechanism implemented on a very large-scale integration (VLSI) chip, using analog neuromorphic circuits. The chip exploits a spike-based representation to receive, process, and transmit signals. It can be used as a transceiver module for building multichip neuromorphic vision systems. We describe the circuits that carry out the main processing stages of the selective attention mechanism and provide experimental data for each circuit. We demonstrate the expected behavior of the model at the system level by stimulating the chip with both artificially generated control signals and signals obtained from a saliency map, computed from an image containing several salient features.