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Assumptions



 
   

 
   

The assumption of an instantaneous population code and the ability of the network to play through sequences of such patterns brings with it additional baggage. In this case 'instantaneous' means 'within a window of a few ms', equivalent to the 'Synfire Chain' hypothesis. There must also be some mechanism for preventing the system from being swamped by noise and 'falling off' a sequence of patterns, perhaps involving a synchronizing effect of inhibitory neurons.

Note that the 'state' here is not a stable attractor, but is an instantaneous activation pattern. Also, because of the sparsity of the coding scheme, multiple states can be active at the same time. There will be some limit to the number of states active at once, controlled by network inhibition preventing the network from saturating.