Concept transfer of synaptic diversity from biological to artificial neural networks

Martin Hofmann (), Moritz Franz Peter Becker, Christian Tetzlaff and Patrick Mäder
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Martin Hofmann: Technische Universität Ilmenau
Moritz Franz Peter Becker: University Medical Center Göttingen
Christian Tetzlaff: University Medical Center Göttingen
Patrick Mäder: Technische Universität Ilmenau

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Abstract Recent developments in artificial neural networks have drawn inspiration from biological neural networks, leveraging the concept of the artificial neuron to model the learning abilities of biological nerve cells. However, while neuroscience has provided new insights into the mechanisms of biological neural networks, only a limited number of these concepts have been directly applied to artificial neural networks, with no guarantee of improved performance. Here, we address the discrepancy between the inhomogeneous and dynamic structures of biological neural networks and the largely homogeneous and fixed topologies of artificial neural networks. Specifically, we demonstrate successful integration of concepts of synaptic diversity, including spontaneous spine remodeling, synaptic plasticity diversity, and multi-synaptic connectivity, into artificial neural networks. Our findings reveal increased learning speed, prediction accuracy, and resilience to gradient inversion attacks. Our publicly available drop-in replacement code enables easy incorporation of these proposed concepts into existing networks.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60078-9

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