Conclusion to Introduction and Simple Point Neuron Models

• Point models are computationally inexpensive to simulate, or emulate in neuromorphic hardware.
• Point models all are rather inaccurate biological models.
• Be careful in overstating their biological accuracy.
• However, they may be sufficient to tell us a lot about actual neural computation if enough are used. (It's an open question.)
• Also note that understanding of the behaviour of individual neurons is incomplete (though pretty good). Understanding of the behaviour of synapses, particularly over time, is even less complete. Understanding of neural circuits is far from complete.
• Reading for this week is Trappenberg Chapter 3.1.5
• Reading for next week is Trappenberg Chapter 2