Sparsity and communication (IMAGE) Washington University in St. Louis Caption Sparsity makes the spiking activity and communications between the neurons more energy efficient as the neurons learn without using backpropagation. Credit Shantanu Chakrabartty/Washington University in St. Louis Usage Restrictions Use allowed with proper attribution License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.