RP, also
Dynamic Connection (DC) - In Netlab, a Receptor Pad (RP) is a site that is defined on a target (
post-synaptic) neuron, where a connection (a
synapse) with an
axon may form. The axon forming the connection may be from ANY source and can form at the RP as the network runs. When a synapse has formed a connection at an RP, the synapse will remain between the source axon and post-synaptic cell at that RP unless the
weight value of that synapse falls to zero or very near zero (for example). At that point the connection between the specific axon and the target will be released and the RP will be free to connect with a different axon (or the same one again).
A given neuron's RP's may be limited to forming connections with:
- Only axons from other neurons (Intra-module).
- Only axons from outside the current unit (Input-terminals)
- Only axons from neurons that release specifically named chemical influences (CIs)
See the entry for
Latent Connections for a discussion of the differences between LCs and RPs.
RPs are a Netlab abstraction. They are part of the function provided by Netlab to mimic the mechanisms of
growth-cones and
pathfinding observed in biological neural networks. RPs are essentially places where Netlab's growth-cone mechanisms can form
synapses dynamically (where the pre- and
post-synaptic units are decided at run-time, as opposed to already being defined at design-time).