Neural Network Simulation Environments describes some of the best examples of neural simulation environments. All current neural simulation tools can be classified into four overlapping categories of increasing sophistication in software engineering. The least sophisticated are undocumented and dedicated programs, developed to solve just one specific problem; these tools cannot easily be used by the larger community and have not been included in this volume. The next category is a collection of custom-made programs, some perhaps borrowed from other application domains, and organized into libraries, sometimes with a rudimentary user interface. More recently, very sophisticated programs started to appear that integrate advanced graphical user interface and other data analysis tools. These are frequently dedicated to just one neural architecture/algorithm as, for example, three layers of interconnected artificial `neurons' learning to generalize input vectors using a backpropagation algorithm. Currently, the most sophisticated simulation tools are complete, system-level environments, incorporating the most advanced concepts in software engineering that can support experimentation and model development of a wide range of neural networks. These environments include sophisticated graphical user interfaces as well as an array of tools for analysis, manipulation and visualization of neural data. Neural Network Simulation Environments is an excellent reference for researchers in both academia and industry, and can be used as a text for advanced courses on the subject.

A survey of products and research projects in the field of highly parallel, optical and neural computers in the USA. It covers operating systems, language projects and market analysis, as well as optical computing devices and optical connections of electronic parts.

The neural network paradigm with its various advantages might be the next promising bridge between artificial intelligence and pattern recognition that will help with the conceptualization of new computational artifacts. This volume contains ten papers which represent some of the work being done in the field, such as in computational neuroscience, pattern recognition, computational vision, and applications.

Computational neuroscience is best defined by its focus on understanding the nervous systems as a computational device rather than by a particular experimental technique. Accordinlgy, while the majority of the papers in this book describe analysis and modeling efforts, other papers describe the results of new biological experiments explicitly placed in the context of computational issues. The distribution of subjects in Computation and Neural Systems reflects the current state of the field. In addition to the scientific results presented here, numerous papers also describe the ongoing technical developments that are critical for the continued growth of computational neuroscience. Computation and Neural Systems includes papers presented at the First Annual Computation and Neural Systems meeting held in San Francisco, CA, July 26--29, 1992.

In recent years there has been tremendous activity in computational neuroscience resulting from two parallel developments. On the one hand, our knowledge of real nervous systems has increased dramatically over the years; on the other, there is now enough computing power available to perform realistic simulations of actual neural circuits. This is leading to a revolution in quantitative neuroscience, which is attracting a growing number of scientists from non-biological disciplines. These scientists bring with them expertise in signal processing, information theory, and dynamical systems theory that has helped transform our ways of approaching neural systems. New developments in experimental techniques have enabled biologists to gather the data necessary to test these new theories. While we do not yet understand how the brain sees, hears or smells, we do have testable models of specific components of visual, auditory, and olfactory processing. Some of these models have been applied to help construct artificial vision and hearing systems. Similarly, our understanding of motor control has grown to the point where it has become a useful guide in the development of artificial robots. Many neuroscientists believe that we have only scratched the surface, and that a more complete understanding of biological information processing is likely to lead to technologies whose impact will propel another industrial revolution. Neural Systems: Analysis and Modeling contains the collected papers of the 1991 Conference on Analysis and Modeling of Neural Systems (AMNS), and the papers presented at the satellite symposium on compartmental modeling, held July 23-26, 1992, in San Francisco, California. The papers included, present an update of the most recent developments in quantitative analysis and modeling techniques for the study of neural systems.