Estimation and statistical validation of event-invariant nonlinear dynamic models of hippocampal CA3-CA1 population activities

Extraction and restoration of hippocampal spatial memories with non-linear dynamical modeling

To build a cognitive prosthesis that can replace the memory function of the hippocampus, it is essential to model the input-output function of the damaged hippocampal region, so the prosthetic device can stimulate the downstream hippocampal region, e.g., CA1, with the output signal, e.g., CA1 spike trains, predicted from the ongoing input signal, e.g., CA3 spike trains, and the identified input-output function, e.g., CA3-CA1 model. In order for the downstream region to form appropriate long-term memories based on the restored output signal, furthermore, the output signal should contain sufficient information about the memories that the animal has formed. In this study, we verify this premise by applying regression and classification modelings of the spatio-temporal patterns of spike trains to the hippocampal CA3 and CA1 data recorded from rats performing a memory-dependent delayed non-match-to-sample (DNMS) task. The regression model is essentially the multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) non-linear dynamical model of spike train transformation. It predicts the output spike trains based on the input spike trains and thus restores the output signal. In addition, the classification model interprets the signal by relating the spatio-temporal patterns to the memory events. We have found that: (1) both hippocampal CA3 and CA1 spike trains contain sufficient information for predicting the locations of the sample responses (i.e., left and right memories) during the DNMS task; and more importantly (2) the CA1 spike trains predicted from the CA3 spike trains by the MIMO model also are sufficient for predicting the locations on a single-trial basis. These results show quantitatively that, with a moderate number of unitary recordings from the hippocampus, the MIMO non-linear dynamical model is able to extract and restore spatial memory information for the formation of long-term memories and thus can serve as the computational basis of the hippocampal memory prosthesis.

Identification of sparse neural functional connectivity using penalized likelihood estimation and basis functions

One key problem in computational neuroscience and neural engineering is the identification and modeling of functional connectivity in the brain using spike train data. To reduce model complexity, alleviate overfitting, and thus facilitate model interpretation, sparse representation and estimation of functional connectivity is needed. Sparsities include global sparsity, which captures the sparse connectivities between neurons, and local sparsity, which reflects the active temporal ranges of the input-output dynamical interactions. In this paper, we formulate a generalized functional additive model (GFAM) and develop the associated penalized likelihood estimation methods for such a modeling problem. A GFAM consists of a set of basis functions convolving the input signals, and a link function generating the firing probability of the output neuron from the summation of the convolutions weighted by the sought model coefficients. Model sparsities are achieved by using various penalized likelihood estimations and basis functions. Specifically, we introduce two variations of the GFAM using a global basis (e.g., Laguerre basis) and group LASSO estimation, and a local basis (e.g., B-spline basis) and group bridge estimation, respectively. We further develop an optimization method based on quadratic approximation of the likelihood function for the estimation of these models. Simulation and experimental results show that both group-LASSO-Laguerre and group-bridge-B-spline can capture faithfully the global sparsities, while the latter can replicate accurately and simultaneously both global and local sparsities. The sparse models outperform the full models estimated with the standard maximum likelihood method in out-of-sample predictions.