Synaptic Synchronization-Based Learning of Pattern Separation in Self-Organizing Probabilistic Spiking Neural Networks

Neuroscience-inspired neural networks bridge biology and technology, offering powerful tools to model brain function while enabling adaptive, efficient control in robotics. In this work, we present a neuroscience-inspired synaptic learning rule based on the synchronization of synaptic inputs to single excitatory neurons within a feedforward spiking neural network. The model consists of three excitatory layers and two feedback inhibitory layers, with initially low connection probabilities and weak synaptic weights assigned to the excitatory neurons. Under an unsupervised learning paradigm, stimulus patterns were presented to the network, allowing synaptic weights and connectivity to evolve dynamically across training trials. We investigated how these dynamics depended on feedback inhibition intensity and identified conditions under which the network achieved stable activity. Furthermore, we evaluated the model’s pattern separation efficacy and its relationship to network dynamics. The results highlight the critical role of feedback inhibition in both stabilizing the network and enhancing pattern separation. In particular, results show balanced synchronization between excitatory and inhibitory populations maximizes separation efficacy. Beyond providing a novel computational framework for understanding information processing in neural systems, this model also offers insights into cognitive disorders associated with impaired inhibition and pattern separation, such as autism and schizophrenia. Finally, we embedded the trained network within a simulated agent navigating a two-dimensional environment, where it was tasked with identifying a trained stimulus as an obstacle and avoiding it. The model offers a framework for advancing cognitive robotics by enabling novel approaches that mimic natural intelligence and support the learning of complex environmental patterns.