"If you recall this sentence a few seconds from now, you can thank a simple network of neurons for the experience. That is the conclusions of researchers who have built a computer model that can reproduce an important aspect of short-term memory. The key, they say, is that the neurons form a 'small world' network. Small-world networks are surprisingly common. Human social networks, for example, famously connect any two people on Earth - or any actor to Kevin Bacon - in six steps or less. ... 'The philosophical conclusion is that connectivity matters,' says [Northwestern University] team member Sara Solla. 'Our model uses only a simple caricature of neurons, yet this network shows this working memory-like behaviour.' ... They found that when 10 to 20 per cent of the neurons participated in short cuts, the network formed self-sustaining loops of activity."
posted by Marcus Zillman |
4:25 AM
