Bio-inspired computational memory model of the Hippocampus: An approach to a neuromorphic spike-based Content-Addressable Memory.

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

Abstract

The brain has computational capabilities that surpass those of modern systems, being able to solve complex problems efficiently in a simple way. Neuromorphic engineering aims to mimic biology in order to develop new systems capable of incorporating such capabilities. Bio-inspired learning systems continue to be a challenge that must be solved, and much work needs to be done in this regard. Among all brain regions, the hippocampus stands out as an autoassociative short-term memory with the capacity to learn and recall memories from any fragment of them. These characteristics make the hippocampus an ideal candidate for developing bio-inspired learning systems that, in addition, resemble content-addressable memories. Therefore, in this work we propose a bio-inspired spiking content-addressable memory model based on the CA3 region of the hippocampus with the ability to learn, forget and recall memories, both orthogonal and non-orthogonal, from any fragment of them. The model was implemented on the SpiNNaker hardware platform using Spiking Neural Networks. A set of experiments based on functional, stress and applicability tests were performed to demonstrate its correct functioning. This work presents the first hardware implementation of a fully-functional bio-inspired spiking hippocampal content-addressable memory model, paving the way for the development of future more complex neuromorphic systems.

Authors

  • Daniel Casanueva-Morato
    Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Informática (ETSII), Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Avenida de Reina Mercedes s/n, 41012, Spain; Robotics and Tech. of Computers Lab., Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, 41012, Spain; Escuela Politécnica Superior (EPS), Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, 41011, Spain. Electronic address: dcasanueva@us.es.
  • Alvaro Ayuso-Martinez
    Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Informática (ETSII), Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Avenida de Reina Mercedes s/n, 41012, Spain; Robotics and Tech. of Computers Lab., Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, 41012, Spain; Escuela Politécnica Superior (EPS), Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, 41011, Spain. Electronic address: aayuso@us.es.
  • Juan P Dominguez-Morales
  • Angel Jimenez-Fernandez
    Robotics and Tech. of Computers Lab, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Seville, Spain.
  • Gabriel Jimenez-Moreno