Learning sequence attractors in recurrent networks with hidden neurons.

Journal: Neural networks : the official journal of the International Neural Network Society
PMID:

Abstract

The brain is targeted for processing temporal sequence information. It remains largely unclear how the brain learns to store and retrieve sequence memories. Here, we study how recurrent networks of binary neurons learn sequence attractors to store predefined pattern sequences and retrieve them robustly. We show that to store arbitrary pattern sequences, it is necessary for the network to include hidden neurons even though their role in displaying sequence memories is indirect. We develop a local learning algorithm to learn sequence attractors in the networks with hidden neurons. The algorithm is proven to converge and lead to sequence attractors. We demonstrate that the network model can store and retrieve sequences robustly on synthetic and real-world datasets. We hope that this study provides new insights in understanding sequence memory and temporal information processing in the brain.

Authors

  • Yao Lu
    Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo First Hospital, Ningbo, China.
  • Si Wu
    State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.