Title :
A model of lateralization and asymmetries in cortical maps
Author :
Levitan, Svetlana ; Stoica, Ioana ; Reggia, James A.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Comput. Sci. & Neurology, Maryland Univ., College Park, MD, USA
Abstract :
Cortical sensory maps in mammalian brain exhibit various kinds of asymmetry and lateralization, the causes and mechanisms of which are not well understood and are a subject of controversy. This study uses a neural network model of left and right cortical regions connected via a corpus callosum to examine possible factors involved an the development of map lateralization and asymmetries. Competitive distribution of activation and competitive learning rules are used. The effects of varying callosal connection strength (both excitatory and inhibitory) in the symmetric case and in the presence of some model asymmetries are studied along with the effects of varying training input overlap. The results may provide some insight into how underlying cortical asymmetries and callosal influences can interact to cause hemispheric map asymmetries
Keywords :
brain models; neural nets; neurophysiology; unsupervised learning; callosal connection; competitive learning; corpus callosum; cortical asymmetry; cortical sensory maps; hemispheric map asymmetry; lateralization; mammalian brain; neural network model; neurophysiology; Brain modeling; Cerebral cortex; Computer science; Educational institutions; Graphics; Nervous system; Neural networks; Region 8; Standards organizations; Surface topography;
Conference_Titel :
Neural Networks, 1999. IJCNN '99. International Joint Conference on
Conference_Location :
Washington, DC
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-5529-6
DOI :
10.1109/IJCNN.1999.831468
