Elias J G, Northmore D P, Westerman W
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark 19716, USA.
Neural Comput. 1997 Feb 15;9(2):419-40. doi: 10.1162/neco.1997.9.2.419.
A simple circuit is described that functions as an analog memory whose state and dynamics are directly controlled by pulsatile inputs. The circuit has been incorporated into a silicon neuron with a spatially extensive dendritic tree as a means of controlling the spike firing threshold of an integrate-and-fire soma. Spiking activity generated by the neuron itself and by other units in a network can thereby regulate the neuron's excitability over time periods ranging from milliseconds to many minutes. Experimental results are presented showing applications to temporal edge sharpening, bistable behavior, and a network that learns in the manner of classical conditioning.
