Project description DEENESFRITPL New model to show how working memory ... works Important for reasoning, learning and comprehension, working memory (WM) is a short-term limited capacity store. Without it, remembering information for a brief period would be impossible. Examples of WM include holding in mind a person’s address while listening to instructions about how to get there or remembering and responding to information that was relayed during a conversation. What is not well known is how primates can use their WM in a generalised way and control what they think about. The EU-funded Hot-Coal WM project will shed light on these cognitive functions by applying a model that relies on a novel computational principle – specifically, that spatial location of information is controlled by excitatory bursts to support cognition. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Working memory (WM) is a fundamental cognitive capability. It refers to our ability to hold, select and manipulate several objects in mind simultaneously. It allows us to engage in flexible behavior and is tightly linked to fluid intelligence. This project will answer an essential, yet unsolved aspect of WM: How can primates use their WM in a generalized way and control what they think about? If you hear ‘apple’, ‘stone’ and ‘pear’ in sequence, and then you are asked to imagine the first fruit, how is it that you do not confuse apples with pears? There are many competing models of WM, but no biologically detailed models are capable of generalization. Neural networks can be trained to perform similar WM tasks as primates do, a major difference is that primates generalize their training. They can learn the task on a set of objects, then perform it on a novel set. Computational models typically rely on changing the connections between units to achieve the desired activity patterns to solve the task. Since these activity patterns depend on the objects held in WM, the training does not translate to novel objects. I propose a new solution to this problem, the Hot-Coal model of WM. It relies on a novel computational principle in which spatial location of information, rather than connectivity, is controlled by excitatory bursts to support cognition. I will explore this principle and test it in data. Preliminary tests suggest that the Hot-Coal theory is supported by electrophysiological data from primates. By implementing the theory in computational networks I aim to demonstrate the generalization mechanism and provide more detailed predictions. Finally, I will use the theory to resolve seemingly conflicting findings regarding the mechanisms underlying WM, by reproducing them in a single model. The new theory could constitute a significant advance in the mechanistic understanding of one of the most central and puzzling components of cognition. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological scienceszoologymammalogyprimatologyagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticulturefruit growingnatural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligencecomputational intelligence Keywords Working memory computational neuroscience generalization systems neuroscience computational cognition Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2020-STG - ERC STARTING GRANTS Call for proposal ERC-2020-STG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-STG - Starting Grant Host institution KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET Net EU contribution € 1 498 957,00 Address Nobels Vag 5 17177 Stockholm Sweden See on map Region Östra Sverige Stockholm Stockholms län Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 498 957,00 Beneficiaries (2) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET Sweden Net EU contribution € 1 498 957,00 Address Nobels Vag 5 17177 Stockholm See on map Region Östra Sverige Stockholm Stockholms län Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 498 957,00 STOCKHOLMS UNIVERSITET Participation ended Sweden Net EU contribution € 0,00 Address UNIVERSITETSVAGEN 10 10691 Stockholm See on map Region Östra Sverige Stockholm Stockholms län Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost No data
