Skip to main content

Main menu

  • HOME
  • CONTENT
    • Early Release
    • Featured
    • Current Issue
    • Issue Archive
    • Collections
    • Podcast
  • ALERTS
  • FOR AUTHORS
    • Information for Authors
    • Fees
    • Journal Clubs
    • eLetters
    • Submit
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
  • ABOUT
    • Overview
    • Advertise
    • For the Media
    • Rights and Permissions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Feedback
  • SUBSCRIBE

User menu

  • Log out
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Neuroscience
  • Log out
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Journal of Neuroscience

Advanced Search

Submit a Manuscript
  • HOME
  • CONTENT
    • Early Release
    • Featured
    • Current Issue
    • Issue Archive
    • Collections
    • Podcast
  • ALERTS
  • FOR AUTHORS
    • Information for Authors
    • Fees
    • Journal Clubs
    • eLetters
    • Submit
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
  • ABOUT
    • Overview
    • Advertise
    • For the Media
    • Rights and Permissions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Feedback
  • SUBSCRIBE
PreviousNext
Articles

A spiking network model of short-term active memory

D Zipser, B Kehoe, G Littlewort and J Fuster
Journal of Neuroscience 1 August 1993, 13 (8) 3406-3420; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.13-08-03406.1993
D Zipser
Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
B Kehoe
Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
G Littlewort
Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
J Fuster
Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

Studies of cortical neurons in monkeys performing short-term memory tasks have shown that information about a stimulus can be maintained by persistent neuron firing for periods of many seconds after removal of the stimulus. The mechanism by which this sustained activity is initiated and maintained is unknown. In this article we present a spiking neural network model of short-term memory and use it to investigate the hypothesis that recurrent, or “re-entrant,” networks with constant connection strengths are sufficient to store graded information temporarily. The synaptic weights that enable the network to mimic the input-output characteristics of an active memory module are computed using an optimization procedure for recurrent networks with non-spiking neurons. This network is then transformed into one with spiking neurons by interpreting the continuous output values of the nonspiking model neurons as spiking probabilities. The behavior of the model neurons in this spiking network is compared with that of 179 single units previously recorded in monkey inferotemporal (IT) cortex during the performance of a short-term memory task. The spiking patterns of almost every model neuron are found to resemble closely those of IT neurons. About 40% of the IT neuron firing patterns are also found to be of the same types as those of model neurons. A property of the spiking model is that the neurons cannot maintain precise graded activity levels indefinitely, but eventually relax to one of a few constant activities called fixed-point attractors. The noise introduced into the model by the randomness of spiking causes the network to jump between these attractors. This switching between attractor states generates spike trains with a characteristic statistical temporal structure. We found evidence for the same kind of structure in the spike trains from about half of the IT neurons in our test set. These results show that the behavior of many real cortical memory neurons is consistent with an active storage mechanism based on recurrent activity in networks with fixed synaptic strengths.

Back to top

In this issue

The Journal of Neuroscience: 13 (8)
Journal of Neuroscience
Vol. 13, Issue 8
1 Aug 1993
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
Email

Thank you for sharing this Journal of Neuroscience article.

NOTE: We request your email address only to inform the recipient that it was you who recommended this article, and that it is not junk mail. We do not retain these email addresses.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
A spiking network model of short-term active memory
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Journal of Neuroscience
(Your Name) thought you would be interested in this article in Journal of Neuroscience.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
View Full Page PDF
Citation Tools
A spiking network model of short-term active memory
D Zipser, B Kehoe, G Littlewort, J Fuster
Journal of Neuroscience 1 August 1993, 13 (8) 3406-3420; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.13-08-03406.1993

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Respond to this article
Request Permissions
Share
A spiking network model of short-term active memory
D Zipser, B Kehoe, G Littlewort, J Fuster
Journal of Neuroscience 1 August 1993, 13 (8) 3406-3420; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.13-08-03406.1993
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF

Responses to this article

Respond to this article

Jump to comment:

No eLetters have been published for this article.

Related Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

  • Choice Behavior Guided by Learned, But Not Innate, Taste Aversion Recruits the Orbitofrontal Cortex
  • Maturation of Spontaneous Firing Properties after Hearing Onset in Rat Auditory Nerve Fibers: Spontaneous Rates, Refractoriness, and Interfiber Correlations
  • Insulin Treatment Prevents Neuroinflammation and Neuronal Injury with Restored Neurobehavioral Function in Models of HIV/AIDS Neurodegeneration
Show more Articles
  • Home
  • Alerts
  • Visit Society for Neuroscience on Facebook
  • Follow Society for Neuroscience on Twitter
  • Follow Society for Neuroscience on LinkedIn
  • Visit Society for Neuroscience on Youtube
  • Follow our RSS feeds

Content

  • Early Release
  • Current Issue
  • Issue Archive
  • Collections

Information

  • For Authors
  • For Advertisers
  • For the Media
  • For Subscribers

About

  • About the Journal
  • Editorial Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
(JNeurosci logo)
(SfN logo)

Copyright © 2023 by the Society for Neuroscience.
JNeurosci Online ISSN: 1529-2401

The ideas and opinions expressed in JNeurosci do not necessarily reflect those of SfN or the JNeurosci Editorial Board. Publication of an advertisement or other product mention in JNeurosci should not be construed as an endorsement of the manufacturer’s claims. SfN does not assume any responsibility for any injury and/or damage to persons or property arising from or related to any use of any material contained in JNeurosci.