RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A neural network account of memory replay and knowledge consolidation
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2021.05.25.445587
DO 10.1101/2021.05.25.445587
A1 Daniel N. Barry
A1 Bradley C. Love
YR 2021
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/08/23/2021.05.25.445587.abstract
AB Replay can consolidate memories through offline neural reactivation related to past experiences. Category knowledge is learned across multiple experiences, and its subsequent generalisation is promoted by consolidation and replay during rest and sleep. However, aspects of replay are difficult to determine from neuroimaging studies alone. Here, we provided insights into category knowledge replay by simulating these processes in a neural network which assumed the roles of the human ventral visual stream and hippocampus. Generative replay, akin to imagining new instances of a category, facilitated generalisation to new experiences. Consolidation-related replay may therefore help to prepare us for the future as much as remember the past. Generative replay was more effective in later network layers equivalent to the lateral occipital cortex than layers corresponding to early visual cortex, drawing a distinction between neural replay and its relevance to consolidation. Category replay was most beneficial for newly acquired knowledge, suggesting replay helps us adapt to changes in our environment. Finally, we present a novel mechanism for the observation that the brain selectively consolidates weaker information; a reinforcement learning process in which categories were replayed according to their contribution to network performance. This reconceptualises consolidation-related replay as an active rather than passive process.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.