Week 4: Summary of Firing Rate Model

Question 1

Rate model is a non-spiking relative of the

Answer 1

IF (integrate and fire) model

Question 2

The rate model models the

Answer 2

average firing of a neuron/cell over time

Question 3

The rate model does not model

Answer 3

synaptic action

Question 4

The rate model is just the summation of

Answer 4

incoming inputs

Question 5

Diagram of the rate model

Answer 5

Question 6

In rate model. a transfer function is added to activation ‘a’ variable

For instance, a sigmoid such that (2)

Answer 6

negative ‘a’ values gets mapped to 0 (since firing rate can’t be 0)

and positive values saturate (since a neuron can only emit so many spikes per second)

Question 7

Rate model equation in words is change in activation =

Answer 7

activation + weighted firing rates of inputs

Question 8

Diagram of rate model differential equation

Answer 8

Question 9

In rate model, spilt the change in da/dt to calculate

Answer 9

a2 from values of a1 and other inputs

Question 10

Rate model equation to calculate a2

Answer 10

Question 11

Rate model equation: What does derivative da/dt mean? (2)

Answer 11

differences in ‘a’ between two time points

(a2 - a1)/(t2-t1)

Question 12

Firing rate model equation is when

Answer 12

putting ‘a’ through transfer function

Question 13

In rate model before ‘a’ put through transfer function is interpreted as

Answer 13

activation of a neuron

Question 14

The transfer function in rate model turns ‘a’ into

Answer 14

firing rate

Question 15

The ‘a’ in the rate model will

Answer 15

decay like MP but in this model speak of only firing rate

Question 16

The rate model will capture but not..

Answer 16

dynamics but does not produce spike times (i.e., non-spiking model)

Question 17

The firing rate model will assume that the average firing rate of neurons (in response to incoming inputs)

Answer 17

will adequately capture the fundamental properties of a neuron in a neuronal network

Question 18

Any phenomena that is reliant on exact and accurate spike times can not be modelled with… but instead modelled with (2)

Answer 18

firing rate model

lisman-idiart model

Question 19

The firing rate model is a simpler model but still captures

Answer 19

dynamic changes in activity (i.e., averaging AP spikes of a neuron)

Question 20

Level of simple to complex models - rate-coded neurons diagram

Answer 20