Most practical applications of artificial neural networks are based on a computational model involving the propagation of continuous variables from one processing unit to the next. In recent years, data from neurobiological experiments have made it increasingly clear that biological neural networks, which communicate through pulses, use the timing of the pulses to transmit information and perform computation. This realization has stimulated significant research on pulsed neural networks, including theoretical analyses and model development, neurobiological modeling, and hardware implementation.

This book presents the complete spectrum of current research in pulsed neural networks and includes the most important work from many of the key scientists in the field. Terrence J. Sejnowski's foreword, "Neural Pulse Coding," presents an overview of the topic. The first half of the book consists of longer tutorial articles spanning neurobiology, theory, algorithms, and hardware. The second half contains a larger number of shorter research chapters that present more advanced concepts. The contributors use consistent notation and terminology throughout the book.