# Copyright 2026 BrainX Ecosystem Limited. All Rights Reserved.
#
# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
# You may obtain a copy of the License at
#
# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
#
# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
# limitations under the License.
# ==============================================================================
# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
import math
import saiunit as u
from brainstate.typing import ArrayLike
from .stdp_synapse import _STDP_EPS, stdp_synapse
__all__ = [
'stdp_nn_symm_synapse',
]
class stdp_nn_symm_synapse(stdp_synapse):
r"""NEST-compatible ``stdp_nn_symm_synapse`` connection model.
Short description
-----------------
Synapse type for spike-timing dependent plasticity with symmetric
nearest-neighbour spike pairing.
Description
-----------
``stdp_nn_symm_synapse`` mirrors NEST
``models/stdp_nn_symm_synapse.h`` and implements the symmetric nearest-
neighbour pairing scheme from Morrison et al. (2007, 2008):
- on a presynaptic spike, depression uses the nearest preceding
postsynaptic spike,
- postsynaptic spikes since the previous presynaptic spike contribute
facilitation with nearest-neighbour trace factors.
Compared with :class:`stdp_synapse`, this model removes the running
presynaptic ``Kplus`` trace. Facilitation for each postsynaptic spike in
the readout window uses
:math:`\exp((t_{\mathrm{last}}-(t_{post}+d))/\tau_+)` directly.
**1. Mathematical Model**
The weight update follows the same functional forms as :class:`stdp_synapse`,
but with symmetric nearest-neighbor pairing:
.. math::
\hat{w} \leftarrow \hat{w}
+ \lambda (1-\hat{w})^{\mu_+}
\sum_{i} \exp((t_{\mathrm{last}}-(t_{\mathrm{post}}^{(i)}+d))/\tau_+)
.. math::
\hat{w} \leftarrow \hat{w}
- \alpha \lambda \hat{w}^{\mu_-} k_-^{\mathrm{NN}}
where :math:`\hat{w} = w / W_{\mathrm{max}}` is the normalized weight,
:math:`t_{\mathrm{post}}^{(i)}` are **all** postsynaptic spikes in the
interval :math:`(t_{\mathrm{last}}-d,\, t_{\mathrm{pre}}-d]`, and
.. math::
k_-^{\mathrm{NN}} = \begin{cases}
\exp((t_{\mathrm{post}}^{\mathrm{last}} - (t_{\mathrm{pre}}-d))/\tau_-)
& \text{if } \exists t_{\mathrm{post}}^{\mathrm{last}} < t_{\mathrm{pre}}-d \\
0 & \text{otherwise}
\end{cases}
Here :math:`t_{\mathrm{post}}^{\mathrm{last}}` denotes the **nearest preceding**
postsynaptic spike before :math:`t_{\mathrm{pre}}-d`.
The symmetric scheme differs from both the all-to-all :class:`stdp_synapse`
(which accumulates a running ``Kplus`` trace) and the pre-centered
:class:`stdp_nn_pre_centered_synapse` (which uses only the first postsynaptic
spike and resets ``Kplus``). Here, **all** postsynaptic spikes in the window
contribute to potentiation, but each uses an exponential factor computed
directly from :math:`t_{\mathrm{last}}` without a presynaptic trace variable.
**2. Update Order (NEST Source Equivalent)**
For a presynaptic spike at :math:`t_{\mathrm{pre}}` with dendritic delay
:math:`d`, NEST ``stdp_nn_symm_synapse::send`` performs:
1. Read postsynaptic history in
:math:`(t_{\mathrm{last}}-d,\, t_{\mathrm{pre}}-d]`.
2. For each postsynaptic spike in that interval, apply facilitation with
:math:`\exp((t_{\mathrm{last}}-(t_{\mathrm{post}}+d))/\tau_+)`.
3. Apply depression from nearest-neighbor postsynaptic trace at
:math:`t_{\mathrm{pre}}-d`:
:math:`\exp((t_{\mathrm{post}}^{\mathrm{nn}}-(t_{\mathrm{pre}}-d))/\tau_-)`.
4. Send event with updated ``weight``.
5. Set ``t_lastspike = t_pre``.
This implementation preserves that exact ordering.
**3. Coincidence Semantics**
Pairs with exact coincidence are discarded by strict time comparisons
(NEST ``stdp_eps`` behavior). If
:math:`t_{\mathrm{pre}} = t_{\mathrm{post}} + d` (within ``1e-6`` ms),
the coincident postsynaptic spike is not used for depression/facilitation;
earlier valid nearest neighbors are used instead.
Parameters
----------
weight : ArrayLike, optional
Initial synaptic weight. Default: ``1.0``.
delay : ArrayLike, optional
Synaptic delay :math:`d` in ms. Default: ``1.0 * u.ms``.
receptor_type : int, optional
Receiver port/receptor id. Default: ``0``.
tau_plus : ArrayLike, optional
Potentiation time constant :math:`\tau_+` in ms. Default: ``20.0 * u.ms``.
tau_minus : ArrayLike, optional
Depression trace time constant :math:`\tau_-` in ms.
In NEST this is a postsynaptic-neuron parameter; here it is stored on
the synapse for standalone compatibility. Default: ``20.0 * u.ms``.
lambda_ : ArrayLike, optional
Learning-rate parameter :math:`\lambda`. Default: ``0.01``.
alpha : ArrayLike, optional
Depression scaling parameter :math:`\alpha`. Default: ``1.0``.
mu_plus : ArrayLike, optional
Potentiation exponent :math:`\mu_+`. Default: ``1.0``.
mu_minus : ArrayLike, optional
Depression exponent :math:`\mu_-`. Default: ``1.0``.
Wmax : ArrayLike, optional
Maximum weight bound :math:`W_{\mathrm{max}}`. Must have same sign as
``weight``. Default: ``100.0``.
post : object, optional
Default receiver object for spike transmission.
name : str, optional
Object name for debugging and serialization.
Notes
-----
- In NEST, ``tau_minus`` belongs to the postsynaptic archiving neuron.
This backend stores equivalent state locally for standalone
compatibility, while preserving update semantics.
- As in NEST, the model uses on-grid spike stamps and ignores sub-step
precise spike offsets for STDP updates.
- ``Kplus`` is not a public parameter for this model because it is not used
in the symmetric nearest-neighbor scheme. The constructor internally sets
``Kplus=0.0`` in the parent class, but it plays no role in weight updates.
- The symmetric scheme produces different weight dynamics than all-to-all
STDP: each postsynaptic spike contributes independently to facilitation,
weighted by its temporal distance from the last presynaptic spike, rather
than being accumulated into a running trace.
Examples
--------
Symmetric nearest-neighbor STDP with custom parameters:
.. code-block:: python
>>> import brainpy.state as bp
>>> import saiunit as u
>>> syn = bp.stdp_nn_symm_synapse(
... weight=0.5,
... delay=1.5 * u.ms,
... tau_plus=16.8 * u.ms,
... tau_minus=33.7 * u.ms,
... lambda_=0.005,
... alpha=0.85,
... Wmax=5.0,
... )
>>> syn.weight
0.5
References
----------
.. [1] NEST source: ``models/stdp_nn_symm_synapse.h`` and
``models/stdp_nn_symm_synapse.cpp``.
.. [2] Morrison A, Aertsen A, Diesmann M (2007).
Spike-timing dependent plasticity in balanced random networks.
Neural Computation, 19:1437-1467.
DOI: 10.1162/089976607808742029
.. [3] Morrison A, Diesmann M, Gerstner W (2008).
Phenomenological models of synaptic plasticity based on spike timing.
Biological Cybernetics, 98:459-478.
DOI: 10.1007/s00422-008-0233-1
"""
__module__ = 'brainpy.state'
def __init__(
self,
weight: ArrayLike = 1.0,
delay: ArrayLike = 1.0 * u.ms,
receptor_type: int = 0,
tau_plus: ArrayLike = 20.0 * u.ms,
tau_minus: ArrayLike = 20.0 * u.ms,
lambda_: ArrayLike = 0.01,
alpha: ArrayLike = 1.0,
mu_plus: ArrayLike = 1.0,
mu_minus: ArrayLike = 1.0,
Wmax: ArrayLike = 100.0,
post=None,
name: str | None = None,
):
super().__init__(
weight=weight,
delay=delay,
receptor_type=receptor_type,
tau_plus=tau_plus,
tau_minus=tau_minus,
lambda_=lambda_,
alpha=alpha,
mu_plus=mu_plus,
mu_minus=mu_minus,
Wmax=Wmax,
Kplus=0.0,
post=post,
name=name,
)
def _get_nearest_neighbor_K_value(self, t_ms: float) -> float:
r"""Compute nearest-neighbor depression trace value at time ``t_ms``.
Matches NEST ``ArchivingNode::get_K_values`` nearest-neighbor behavior:
find the latest postsynaptic spike strictly before ``t_ms`` and return
:math:`\exp((t_{\mathrm{post}}^{\mathrm{last}} - t_{\mathrm{ms}})/\tau_-)`.
Parameters
----------
t_ms : float
Query time in milliseconds. Must be positive.
Returns
-------
float
Depression trace value :math:`k_-^{\mathrm{NN}}` computed from
the nearest preceding postsynaptic spike. Returns ``0.0`` if no
valid postsynaptic spike exists in history or if the nearest spike
is not strictly before ``t_ms`` (within ``1e-6`` ms tolerance).
Notes
-----
- This method iterates backward through ``self._post_hist_t`` to find
the most recent postsynaptic spike :math:`t_{\mathrm{post}}` such
that :math:`t_{\mathrm{ms}} - t_{\mathrm{post}} > 10^{-6}` ms.
- If no such spike exists, depression is zero (no LTD applied).
- The exponential decay uses ``self.tau_minus``, which in NEST belongs
to the postsynaptic neuron but is stored locally here.
- Unlike the presynaptic trace ``Kplus`` in other STDP models, this
computes a unit-amplitude trace decayed from a single postsynaptic
spike time, not an accumulated trace.
"""
# Match ArchivingNode::get_K_values nearest-neighbor behavior:
# use latest post spike strictly before t and decay a unit trace.
for idx in range(len(self._post_hist_t) - 1, -1, -1):
t_post = self._post_hist_t[idx]
if (t_ms - t_post) > _STDP_EPS:
return math.exp((t_post - t_ms) / self.tau_minus)
return 0.0
[docs]
def get(self) -> dict:
r"""Return current public parameters and mutable state.
Returns a dictionary containing all synapse parameters and internal state
variables, excluding the unused ``Kplus`` parameter (which is not part of
the symmetric nearest-neighbor scheme).
Returns
-------
dict
Dictionary with keys ``'synapse_model'`` (str, set to
``'stdp_nn_symm_synapse'``), ``'weight'`` (float), ``'delay'``
(float in ms), ``'receptor_type'`` (int), ``'tau_plus'`` (float in ms),
``'tau_minus'`` (float in ms), ``'lambda'`` (float), ``'alpha'`` (float),
``'mu_plus'`` (float), ``'mu_minus'`` (float), ``'Wmax'`` (float),
``'t_lastspike'`` (float in ms), and internal history state.
The ``'Kplus'`` key is explicitly removed because it is not used.
Notes
-----
- The returned dictionary is a snapshot and does not dynamically reflect
subsequent state changes.
- This method is used for serialization, debugging, and NEST-API
compatibility (``GetStatus``).
- Unlike :class:`stdp_synapse` and :class:`stdp_nn_pre_centered_synapse`,
this model does not maintain a presynaptic trace ``Kplus``, so it is
excluded from the returned state.
"""
params = super().get()
params.pop('Kplus', None)
params['synapse_model'] = 'stdp_nn_symm_synapse'
return params
[docs]
def set(self, **kwargs):
r"""Set NEST-style public parameters and mutable state.
Updates synapse parameters dynamically. Rejects attempts to set ``Kplus``
because it is not part of the symmetric nearest-neighbor STDP model.
Parameters
----------
**kwargs : dict
Parameter names and values to update. Valid keys include ``'weight'``,
``'delay'``, ``'receptor_type'``, ``'tau_plus'``, ``'tau_minus'``,
``'lambda'``, ``'alpha'``, ``'mu_plus'``, ``'mu_minus'``, ``'Wmax'``,
and ``'t_lastspike'``.
Raises
------
ValueError
If ``'Kplus'`` is present in ``kwargs``. The symmetric nearest-neighbor
scheme does not use a presynaptic trace, so setting ``Kplus`` is invalid.
Notes
-----
- This method provides NEST-API compatibility (``SetStatus``).
- Parameter updates take effect immediately and apply to subsequent
plasticity updates.
- Unlike models with ``Kplus``, this model computes facilitation traces
directly from postsynaptic spike times without maintaining a running
presynaptic trace variable.
Examples
--------
Update learning rate and potentiation time constant:
.. code-block:: python
>>> import brainpy.state as bp
>>> import saiunit as u
>>> syn = bp.stdp_nn_symm_synapse(weight=1.0)
>>> syn.set(lambda_=0.02, tau_plus=15.0 * u.ms)
>>> syn.get()['lambda']
0.02
"""
if 'Kplus' in kwargs:
raise ValueError('Kplus is not a parameter of stdp_nn_symm_synapse.')
super().set(**kwargs)
[docs]
def send(
self,
multiplicity: ArrayLike = 1.0,
*,
post=None,
receptor_type: ArrayLike | None = None,
) -> bool:
r"""Schedule one outgoing spike event with symmetric nearest-neighbor STDP.
This method implements the complete NEST ``stdp_nn_symm_synapse::send``
update sequence:
1. Query postsynaptic spike history in the interval
:math:`(t_{\mathrm{last}}-d,\, t_{\mathrm{spike}}-d]`.
2. For **each** postsynaptic spike :math:`t_{\mathrm{post}}^{(i)}` in
that interval, apply facilitation with:
.. math::
w \leftarrow w + \lambda (1-w/W_{\mathrm{max}})^{\mu_+}
\exp((t_{\mathrm{last}} - (t_{\mathrm{post}}^{(i)} + d))/\tau_+)
Unlike :class:`stdp_nn_pre_centered_synapse`, this uses **all**
postsynaptic spikes in the window, not just the first.
3. Apply depression from the **nearest preceding** postsynaptic spike:
.. math::
w \leftarrow w - \alpha \lambda (w/W_{\mathrm{max}})^{\mu_-}
\exp((t_{\mathrm{post}}^{\mathrm{last}} - (t_{\mathrm{spike}}-d))/\tau_-)
4. Enqueue a spike event with the updated weight for delivery at step
:math:`\mathrm{current\_step} + \mathrm{delay\_steps}`.
5. Update ``t_lastspike`` to the current spike time.
No presynaptic trace ``Kplus`` is updated because this model does not
use one.
Parameters
----------
multiplicity : ArrayLike, optional
Spike multiplicity (weight scaling factor). If zero, no event is sent.
Default: ``1.0``.
post : object, optional
Target receiver object. If ``None``, uses the default receiver set
at construction.
receptor_type : ArrayLike or None, optional
Receptor port id for the event. If ``None``, uses
``self.receptor_type``. Must be a non-negative integer.
Returns
-------
bool
``True`` if the event was scheduled, ``False`` if ``multiplicity``
was zero and no event was sent.
Notes
-----
- The weight update occurs **before** the event is enqueued, so the
transmitted spike carries the plasticity-modified weight.
- **All** postsynaptic spikes in the facilitation window contribute
independently to potentiation, weighted by their temporal distance from
the last presynaptic spike. This is the "symmetric" aspect of the model.
- Depression uses a strict nearest-neighbor rule: only the most recent
postsynaptic spike before :math:`t_{\mathrm{spike}}-d` contributes.
- Coincident spikes (within ``1e-6`` ms tolerance) are excluded from
both facilitation and depression windows.
- Unlike :class:`stdp_synapse`, no presynaptic trace is maintained; unlike
:class:`stdp_nn_pre_centered_synapse`, the presynaptic trace is not reset
after facilitation (because it does not exist).
- This method is typically called by the presynaptic neuron's spike
transmission logic; it can also be invoked manually for testing or
standalone STDP simulation.
Examples
--------
Manually trigger a presynaptic spike event:
.. code-block:: python
>>> import brainpy.state as bp
>>> import saiunit as u
>>> syn = bp.stdp_nn_symm_synapse(
... weight=1.0, delay=1.0 * u.ms, tau_plus=20.0 * u.ms
... )
>>> # Assume postsynaptic spikes have been recorded...
>>> success = syn.send(multiplicity=1.0)
>>> print(success)
True
>>> print(syn.weight) # Weight has been updated by STDP
"""
if not self._is_nonzero(multiplicity):
return False
dt_ms = self._refresh_delay_if_needed()
current_step = self._curr_step(dt_ms)
# NEST uses on-grid event stamps in this model.
t_spike = self._current_time_ms() + dt_ms
dendritic_delay = float(self.delay)
# Facilitation due to postsynaptic spikes in
# (t_lastspike - dendritic_delay, t_spike - dendritic_delay].
t1 = self.t_lastspike - dendritic_delay
t2 = t_spike - dendritic_delay
history = self._get_post_history_times(t1, t2)
for t_post in history:
minus_dt = self.t_lastspike - (t_post + dendritic_delay)
assert minus_dt < (-1.0 * _STDP_EPS)
self.weight = float(self._facilitate(float(self.weight), math.exp(minus_dt / self.tau_plus)))
# Depression from nearest preceding postsynaptic spike.
kminus_value = self._get_nearest_neighbor_K_value(t_spike - dendritic_delay)
self.weight = float(self._depress(float(self.weight), float(kminus_value)))
receiver = self._resolve_receiver(post)
rport = self.receptor_type if receptor_type is None else self._to_receptor_type(receptor_type)
weighted_payload = multiplicity * float(self.weight)
delivery_step = int(current_step + int(self._delay_steps))
self._queue[delivery_step].append((receiver, weighted_payload, int(rport), 'spike'))
self.t_lastspike = float(t_spike)
return True