ABSTRACT
One of the most striking features of cortical organization is the widespread occurrence of topographically organized neural maps. This chapter reviews several computational models of somatotopic map organization. These models focus on one aspect of the mapping problem, namely, the local organization of the map. The major issues of concern are: the mechanism by which local continuity is established and maintained; control of the size of receptive fields; and control of the local magnification factor. Kohonen developed the first general model of topographic map organization. Kohonen observed that global organization usually propagated inward from the boundaries of the network. Finkel, Edelman, and Pearson developed a model of topographic map organization in somatosensory cortex which explicitly attempts to account for the major experimental results obtained by Merzenich, Kaas, and their colleagues. Grajski and Merzenich start with a network which has been topographically refined through several cycles of stimulation. Grajski and Merzenich had also simulated effects of focal cortical lesions.
