@article {69794,
	title = {Combining Sampling Methods with Attractor Dynamics in Spiking Models of Head-Direction Systems},
	journal = {bioRxiv},
	year = {2025},
	month = {2025 Feb 26},
	abstract = {<p>Uncertainty is a fundamental aspect of the natural environment, requiring the brain to infer and integrate noisy signals to guide behavior effectively. Sampling-based inference has been proposed as a mechanism for dealing with uncertainty, particularly in early sensory processing. However, it is unclear how to reconcile sampling-based methods with operational principles of higher-order brain areas, such as attractor dynamics of persistent neural representations. In this study, we present a spiking neural network model for the head-direction (HD) system that combines sampling-based inference with attractor dynamics. To achieve this, we derive the required spiking neural network dynamics and interactions to perform sampling from a large family of probability distributions - including variables encoded with Poisson noise. We then propose a method that allows the network to update its estimate of the current head direction by integrating angular velocity samples - derived from noisy inputs - with a pull towards a circular manifold, thereby maintaining consistent attractor dynamics. This model makes specific, testable predictions about the HD system that can be examined in future neurophysiological experiments: it predicts correlated subthreshold voltage fluctuations; distinctive short- and long-term firing correlations among neurons; and characteristic statistics of the movement of the neural activity "bump" representing the head direction. Overall, our approach extends previous theories on probabilistic sampling with spiking neurons, offers a novel perspective on the computations responsible for orientation and navigation, and supports the hypothesis that sampling-based methods can be combined with attractor dynamics to provide a viable framework for studying neural dynamics across the brain.</p>
},
	doi = {10.1101/2025.02.25.640158},
	url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2025/02/26/2025.02.25.640158},
	author = {Pjanovic, Vojko and Zavatone-Veth, Jacob A and Masset, Paul and Keemink, Sander W and Nardin, Michele}
}
