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Stochastic Dynamics in the Brain and Probabilistic Decision-Making

  • Chapter
Creating Brain-Like Intelligence

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 5436))

Abstract

The stochastical spiking of neurons is a source of noise in the brain. We show that this noise is important in brain dynamics, by producing probabilistic settling into attractor states. This can account for probabilistic decision-making, which we show can be advantageous. Similar stochastical dynamics contributes to multistable states such as pattern rivalry and binocular rivalry. Stochastical dynamics also contributes to the detectability of signals in the brain that are close to threshold. Stochastical dynamics provides an interesting way to understand a number of important aspects of brain function.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain

    Gustavo Deco

  2. Dept. of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, England

    Edmund T. Rolls

Authors
  1. Gustavo Deco
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  2. Edmund T. Rolls
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH, 63073 Offenbach/Main, Germany

    Bernhard Sendhoff

  2. Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH, Carl-Legien-Strasse 30, 63073, Offenbach/Main, Germany

    Edgar Körner

  3. Dept. of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, IN 47405, Bloomington, USA

    Olaf Sporns

  4. Faculty of Technology, Neuroinformatics Group, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany

    Helge Ritter

  5. Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Neural Computation Unit,, 12-22 Suzaki, Uruma, 904-2234, Okinawa, Japan

    Kenji Doya

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© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Deco, G., Rolls, E.T. (2009). Stochastic Dynamics in the Brain and Probabilistic Decision-Making. In: Sendhoff, B., Körner, E., Sporns, O., Ritter, H., Doya, K. (eds) Creating Brain-Like Intelligence. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 5436. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00616-6_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00616-6_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-00615-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-00616-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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