Monthly
288 pp. per issue, 6 x 9,
illustrated
Founded: 1989
ISSN 0899-7667
E-ISSN 1530-888X
2008 ISI Impact Factor: 2.378
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April 2005, Vol. 17, No. 4, Pages 839-858
Posted Online March 13, 2006.
(doi:10.1162/0899766053429426)
© 2005 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Difficulty of Singularity in Population Coding Shun-ichi AmariLaboratory for Mathematical Neuroscience, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198 Japan amari@brain.riken.jp Hiroyuki NakaharaLaboratory for Mathematical Neuroscience, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198 Japan hiro@brain.riken.jp
Fisher information has been used to analyze the accuracy of neural population coding. This works well when the Fisher information does not degenerate, but when two stimuli are presented to a population of neurons, a singular structure emerges by their mutual interactions. In this case, the Fisher information matrix degenerates, and the regularity condition ensuring the Cramér-Rao paradigm of statistics is violated. An animal shows pathological behavior in such a situation. We present a novel method of statistical analysis to understand information in population coding in which algebraic singularity plays a major role. The method elucidates the nature of the pathological case by calculating the Fisher information. We then suggest that synchronous firing can resolve singularity and show a method of analyzing the binding problem in terms of the Fisher information. Our method integrates a variety of disciplines in population coding, such as nonregular statistics, Bayesian statistics, singularity in algebraic geometry, and synchronous firing, under the theme of Fisher information.
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