Population vector

In neuroscience, a population vector is the sum of the preferred directions of a population of neurons, weighted by the respective spike counts.

The formula for computing the (normalized) population vector, $$F$$, takes the following form:

$$F = \frac{\sum_j m_j F_j}{\sum_j m_j}$$

Where $$m_j$$ is the activity of cell $$j$$, and $$F_j$$ is the preferred input for cell $$j$$.

Note that the vector $$F$$ encodes the input direction, $$F_j$$, in terms of the activation of a population of neurons.