Effect of biophysical noise on neural activity

Determine whether and to what extent biological neural activity is impacted by biophysical noise, and characterize the implications of such noise for computation and reliability.

Background

The paper notes ongoing debate about the role of noise in biological neural systems. While biological systems lack digital precision, the degree to which biophysical noise affects neural activity remains uncertain.

Resolving this uncertainty is important for interpreting stochasticity in brain-inspired computing and for designing neuromorphic systems that appropriately model or exploit noise.

References

The extent and implications of this noise as it relates to the brain is debated; biological systems certainly do not have the same level of precision as digital systems, however it is not clear that their activity is impacted by biophysical noise.

— Neuromorphic Computing: A Theoretical Framework for Time, Space, and Energy Scaling (2507.17886 - Aimone, 23 Jul 2025) in Section 3.3 Neuromorphic processing is data-dependent and often non-deterministic