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Hybrid Spiking Neural Networks for Low-Power Intra-Cortical Brain-Machine Interfaces (2409.04428v2)

Published 6 Sep 2024 in cs.LG, cs.AI, and q-bio.NC

Abstract: Intra-cortical brain-machine interfaces (iBMIs) have the potential to dramatically improve the lives of people with paraplegia by restoring their ability to perform daily activities. However, current iBMIs suffer from scalability and mobility limitations due to bulky hardware and wiring. Wireless iBMIs offer a solution but are constrained by a limited data rate. To overcome this challenge, we are investigating hybrid spiking neural networks for embedded neural decoding in wireless iBMIs. The networks consist of a temporal convolution-based compression followed by recurrent processing and a final interpolation back to the original sequence length. As recurrent units, we explore gated recurrent units (GRUs), leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) neurons, and a combination of both - spiking GRUs (sGRUs) and analyze their differences in terms of accuracy, footprint, and activation sparsity. To that end, we train decoders on the "Nonhuman Primate Reaching with Multichannel Sensorimotor Cortex Electrophysiology" dataset and evaluate it using the NeuroBench framework, targeting both tracks of the IEEE BioCAS Grand Challenge on Neural Decoding. Our approach achieves high accuracy in predicting velocities of primate reaching movements from multichannel primary motor cortex recordings while maintaining a low number of synaptic operations, surpassing the current baseline models in the NeuroBench framework. This work highlights the potential of hybrid neural networks to facilitate wireless iBMIs with high decoding precision and a substantial increase in the number of monitored neurons, paving the way toward more advanced neuroprosthetic technologies.

Summary

  • The paper presents a novel hybrid spiking neural network architecture combining temporal convolution and various recurrent units (GRU, LIF, sGRU) designed to reduce synaptic operations for intra-cortical Brain-Machine Interfaces.
  • Evaluated on the NeuroBench framework, the proposed hybrid SNNs surpassed baseline models in accuracy and computational efficiency for primate motor decoding, achieving a notable R2 increase (e.g., 0.615 to 0.707) with fewer operations.
  • This research provides a practical framework for developing low-power, resource-efficient wireless iBMIs, paving the way for scalable neuroprosthetic technologies with potential for real-time implementation in embedded systems.

Overview of Hybrid Spiking Neural Networks for Low-Power Intra-Cortical Brain-Machine Interfaces

The paper presents a paper on hybrid spiking neural networks (SNNs) for intra-cortical brain-machine interfaces (iBMIs), particularly addressing the low-power requirements for wireless systems. The work situates itself in a context where individuals with paralysis can potentially regain significant motor function through the technological advancements of BMI systems. Current solutions, while effective in restoring certain functionalities, are burdened by their inherent need for bulky hardware and connectivity constraints, which hinder scalability and mobility. The research aims to overcome these limitations by developing computation models tailored to the constraints of wireless iBMIs.

Technical Contributions

The research investigates a novel hybrid network architecture where a temporal convolution-based compression mechanism is coupled with recurrent processing modules and later followed by an interpolation back to the original sequence length. The utilization of various recurrent units is central to this paper, comparing the efficacy of gated recurrent units (GRUs), leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) neurons, and a fusion of both as spiking GRUs (sGRUs). This configuration is designed to reduce the number of synaptic operations, which stands out as a major limiting factor in deploying machine learning models in embedded environments.

The evaluation of these networks is based on the "Nonhuman Primate Reaching with Multichannel Sensorimotor Cortex Electrophysiology" dataset quantified through the NeuroBench framework. The results demonstrated a high accuracy in predicting the velocities of primate reaching movements while maintaining a reduced number of synaptic operations, outperforming existing baseline models within the same framework.

Numerical Results and Analysis

The paper reports that all proposed hybrid architectures surpass the baseline models in the NeuroBench framework in terms of reduced computational requirements and improved accuracy. For instance, the GRU-based network under track 1 conditions achieved a notable increase in the R2 score from 0.615 to 0.707, while managing to use significantly fewer multiply-accumulate operations (MACs). Although the spiking GRU and LIF-based networks offered different resource-accuracy trade-offs, the LIF networks optimized the number of synaptic operations and attained the highest activation sparsity. This suggests that biologically inspired models such as LIF neurons are well-suited to scenarios demanding low-power consumption and high temporal data sparsity.

Implications and Future Directions

The research offers significant implications for the future development of wireless iBMIs by providing a viable framework that can balance the demands for high decoding precision and resource efficiency. The employment of hybrid spiking neural networks opens avenues for scaling up the monitored neurons in a wireless setting, thus advancing the field towards more sophisticated neuroprosthetic technologies.

From a theoretical perspective, combining different types of neural elements (GRUs, LIF neurons) within the same model captures a richer dynamical behavior and extends the operational domain of conventional machine learning models in embedded systems. In practical terms, such architectures may enable real-time implementations in iBMIs with efficient computation paradigms catering to the strict power and performance constraints of wireless applications.

Going forward, further developments must focus on real-world deployment scenarios, optimizing latency and computational speeds without undermining accuracy. The adaptive nature of the studied approaches suggests they could be extended to a wider array of applications within neuroscience and neuroprosthetic implementations, potentially impacting varied subfields such as sensory information processing and emotional response modulation. Additionally, considerations of implementation technologies such as FPGA or neuromorphic hardware could provide further advantages in optimizing these models for practical use.

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