# Reservoir-Based Graph Convolutional Networks

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.24131 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.24131/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 24 of its 59 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 25 Mar 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 24 of 24)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [Semi-Supervised Classification with Graph Convolutional Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1609.02907/) (2016)
- [Graph Attention Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.10903/) (2017)
- [Batch Normalization: Accelerating Deep Network Training by Reducing Internal Covariate Shift](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1502.03167/) (2015)
- [Inductive Representation Learning on Large Graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.02216/) (2017)
- [How Powerful are Graph Neural Networks?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1810.00826/) (2018)
- [A Comprehensive Survey on Graph Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1901.00596/) (2019)
- [Modeling Relational Data with Graph Convolutional Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.06103/) (2017)
- [Graph Neural Networks: A Review of Methods and Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1812.08434/) (2018)
- [Variational Graph Auto-Encoders](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1611.07308/) (2016)
- [Spectral Networks and Locally Connected Networks on Graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1312.6203/) (2013)
- [Deeper Insights into Graph Convolutional Networks for Semi-Supervised Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.07606/) (2018)
- [TUDataset: A collection of benchmark datasets for learning with graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.08663/) (2020)
- [Graph Neural Networks in Network Neuroscience](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.03535/) (2021)
- [A Survey of Graph Neural Networks for Social Recommender Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.04481/) (2022)
- [Revisiting Over-smoothing in Deep GCNs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.13663/) (2020)
- [Fast and Deep Graph Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.08941/) (2019)
- [Leave Graphs Alone: Addressing Over-Squashing without Rewiring](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.06538/) (2022)
- [Foreseeing Brain Graph Evolution Over Time Using Deep Adversarial Network Normalizer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.11166/) (2020)
- [Deep EvoGraphNet Architecture For Time-Dependent Brain Graph Data Synthesis From a Single Timepoint](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.13217/) (2020)
- [Pyramidal Reservoir Graph Neural Network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.04710/) (2021)
- [Residual Embedding Similarity-Based Network Selection for Predicting Brain Network Evolution Trajectory from a Single Observation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.11110/) (2020)
- [Recurrent Brain Graph Mapper for Predicting Time-Dependent Brain Graph Evaluation Trajectory](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.11237/) (2021)
- [Convolutional Reservoir Computing for World Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1907.08040/) (2019)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Message passing is a core mechanism in Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), enabling the iterative update of node embeddings by aggregating information from neighboring nodes. Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs) exemplify this approach by adapting convolutional operations for graph structures, allowing features from adjacent nodes to be combined effectively. However, GCNs encounter challenges with complex or dynamic data. Capturing long-range dependencies often requires deeper layers, which not only increase computational costs but also lead to over-smoothing, where node embeddings become indistinguishable. To overcome these challenges, reservoir computing has been integrated into GNNs, leveraging iterative message-passing dynamics for stable information propagation without extensive parameter tuning. Despite its promise, existing reservoir-based models lack structured convolutional mechanisms, limiting their ability to accurately aggregate multi-hop neighborhood information. To address these limitations, we propose RGC-Net (Reservoir-based Graph Convolutional Network), which integrates reservoir dynamics with structured graph convolution. Key contributions include: (i) a reimagined convolutional framework with fixed-random reservoir weights and a leaky integrator to enhance feature retention; (ii) a robust, adaptable model for graph classification; and (iii) an RGC-Net-powered transformer for graph generation with application to dynamic brain connectivity. Extensive experiments show RGC-Net achieves state-of-the-art performance in classification and generative tasks, including brain graph evolution, with faster convergence and mitigated over-smoothing. Our source code is available at https://github.com/basiralab/RGC-Net.