synapsebased

Synapsebased is an adjective used in neuroscience and computing to describe systems, models, or approaches that emphasize synapses as the primary sites of computation and learning, rather than treating neurons as the sole processing units. In this sense, synapse-based design focuses on synaptic connections and plasticity rules as the main drivers of information processing, memory, and adaptation.

In neuromorphic engineering and related fields, synapse-based architectures aim to implement synaptic dynamics with physical devices that store and modulate weights, such as memristors or other resistive switching elements. In software and theoretical models, synapse-based approaches often characterize networks by focusing on how synaptic changes drive learning, with rules inspired by biological plasticity, including spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) and other local learning mechanisms that modify connection strength.

Advantages of a synapse-based focus include a closer alignment with biological learning processes, potential improvements in energy efficiency, and the ability to represent memory and adaptation directly within synaptic states. Challenges involve device variability, non-idealities in hardware implementations, scalability, and integration with reliable neuron models and overall system architectures.

Usage and terminology vary across literature; the term is not universally standardized and can be used interchangeably with synaptic-centric computing or neuromorphic design in some contexts. Related concepts include synaptic plasticity, spiking neural networks, neuromorphic hardware, and memristive computing.