A neural algorithm for computing bipartite matchings

Dasgupta, Sanjoy, Meirovitch, Yaron, Zheng, Xingyu, Bush, Inle, Lichtman, Jeff W, Navlakha, Saket (September 2024) A neural algorithm for computing bipartite matchings. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 121 (37). e2321032121. ISSN 0027-8424 (Public Dataset)

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Abstract

Finding optimal bipartite matchings-e.g., matching medical students to hospitals for residency, items to buyers in an auction, or papers to reviewers for peer review-is a fundamental combinatorial optimization problem. We found a distributed algorithm for computing matchings by studying the development of the neuromuscular circuit. The neuromuscular circuit can be viewed as a bipartite graph formed between motor neurons and muscle fibers. In newborn animals, neurons and fibers are densely connected, but after development, each fiber is typically matched (i.e., connected) to exactly one neuron. We cast this synaptic pruning process as a distributed matching (or assignment) algorithm, where motor neurons "compete" with each other to "win" muscle fibers. We show that this algorithm is simple to implement, theoretically sound, and effective in practice when evaluated on real-world bipartite matching problems. Thus, insights from the development of neural circuits can inform the design of algorithms for fundamental computational problems.

Item Type: Paper
Subjects: bioinformatics
bioinformatics > computational biology > algorithms
organism description > animal
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions
bioinformatics > computational biology
organism description > animal > mammal > primates > hominids
organism description > animal > mammal > primates > hominids > human
organism description > animal > mammal
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions
organism description > animal > mammal > primates
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Navlakha lab
SWORD Depositor: CSHL Elements
Depositing User: CSHL Elements
Date: 10 September 2024
Date Deposited: 09 Sep 2024 13:18
Last Modified: 01 Oct 2024 17:37
PMCID: PMC11406297
Related URLs:
Dataset ID:
  • https://github.com/metalloids/nmj_matching
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/41653

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