Maria Marinaro Knihy

The proceedings document the 8th Italian Workshop on Neural Nets, highlighting significant contributions from Italian and European researchers in the field. It includes an invited lecture by Professor L.B. Almeida and showcases the active engagement of the scientific community in Italy. The organizing committee comprises prominent figures from various universities and research institutions, reflecting a collaborative effort to advance knowledge in neural networks. This annual event demonstrates the growing interest and dedication within the Italian scientific landscape.

This volume features invited and contributed papers from the 12th International Summer School on Neural Networks, co-organized by RIKEN BSI (Japan) and the University of Salerno (Italy). Directed by Maria Marinaro, Silvia Scarpetta, and Yoko Yamaguchi, the event took place at the Ettore Majorana Center in Erice, Italy. The collected contributions provide high-level tutorials on neural dynamics, focusing on recent experimental and theoretical findings related to collective dynamics in the hippocampal and parahippocampal regions, as well as the mammalian olfactory system. Aimed at graduate students and researchers from diverse scientific backgrounds—including physics, mathematics, biology, and neuroscience—this book offers insights into brain science that extend beyond disciplinary boundaries. Each lecture includes foundational guidance in its respective field. Topics covered encompass dynamics of the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, mammalian olfactory system dynamics, memory and phase coding, mechanisms of spatial navigation and episodic memory, oscillations in neural assemblies, and cortical up and down states. These subjects highlight recent advancements that have significantly evolved the field.

This volume contains selected papers from WIRN VIETRI-96, the 8th Italian Workshop on Neural Nets, held Vietri sul Mare, Salerno, Italy, from 23-25 May 1996. The papers cover a variety of topics related to neural networks, including pattern recognition, signal processing, theoretical models, applications in science and industry, virtual reality, fuzzy systems, and software algorithms. By providing the reader with a comprehensive overview of recent research work in this area, the volume makes an invaluable contribution to the Perspectives in Neural Computing Series. Neural Nets - WIRN VIETRI-96 will provide invaluable reading material for anyone who needs to keep up to date with the latest developments in neural networks and related areas. It will be of particular interest to academic and industrial researchers, and postgraduate and graduate students.