# Deep Unsupervised Learning Using Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.04054 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.04054/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 22 of its 54 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 8 Jul 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 22 of 22)

- [High-Resolution Image Synthesis with Latent Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.10752/) (2021)
- [Representation Learning with Contrastive Predictive Coding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1807.03748/) (2018)
- [Unsupervised Representation Learning with Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1511.06434/) (2015)
- [Learning both Weights and Connections for Efficient Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1506.02626/) (2015)
- [Unsupervised Learning of Visual Representations by Solving Jigsaw Puzzles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1603.09246/) (2016)
- [Colorful Image Colorization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1603.08511/) (2016)
- [Deep Clustering for Unsupervised Learning of Visual Features](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1807.05520/) (2018)
- [Deep Equilibrium Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1909.01377/) (2019)
- [Equilibrium Propagation: Bridging the Gap Between Energy-Based Models and Backpropagation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1602.05179/) (2016)
- [Going Deeper in Spiking Neural Networks: VGG and Residual Architectures](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1802.02627/) (2018)
- [Long short-term memory and learning-to-learn in networks of spiking neurons](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1803.09574/) (2018)
- [Optimizing the Latent Space of Generative Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1707.05776/) (2017)
- [Universal Statistics of Fisher Information in Deep Neural Networks: Mean Field Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.01316/) (2018)
- [DIET-SNN: Direct Input Encoding With Leakage and Threshold Optimization in Deep Spiking Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2008.03658/) (2020)
- [BindsNET: A machine learning-oriented spiking neural networks library in Python](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.01423/) (2018)
- [Training Feedback Spiking Neural Networks by Implicit Differentiation on the Equilibrium State](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.14247/) (2021)
- [Exploring the Connection Between Binary and Spiking Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.10064/) (2020)
- [EqSpike: Spike-driven Equilibrium Propagation for Neuromorphic Implementations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.07859/) (2020)
- [Exploring Temporal Information Dynamics in Spiking Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.14406/) (2022)
- [Event-Driven Contrastive Divergence for Spiking Neuromorphic Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1311.0966/) (2013)
- [Neuromorphic Nearest-Neighbor Search Using Intel's Pohoiki Springs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.12691/) (2020)
- [Sequence Learning Using Equilibrium Propagation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.09626/) (2022)

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Autaptic Synaptic Circuit Enhances Spatio-temporal Predictive Learning of Spiking Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.00405/) (2024)
- [Neuromorphic Graph Anomaly Detection via Adaptive STDP and Spiking Graph Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.13863/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity (STDP) is an unsupervised learning mechanism for Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) that has received significant attention from the neuromorphic hardware community. However, scaling such local learning techniques to deeper networks and large-scale tasks has remained elusive. In this work, we investigate a Deep-STDP framework where a rate-based convolutional network, that can be deployed in a neuromorphic setting, is trained in tandem with pseudo-labels generated by the STDP clustering process on the network outputs. We achieve 24.56% higher accuracy and 3.5× faster convergence speed at iso-accuracy on a 10-class subset of the Tiny ImageNet dataset in contrast to a k-means clustering approach.