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The dynamics of memory as a consequence of optimal adaptation to a changing body

Abstract

There are many causes for variation in the responses of the motor apparatus to neural commands. Fast-timescale disturbances occur when muscles fatigue. Slow-timescale disturbances occur when muscles are damaged or when limb dynamics change as a result of development. To maintain performance, motor commands need to adapt. Computing the best adaptation in response to any performance error results in a credit assignment problem: which timescale is responsible for this disturbance? Here we show that a Bayesian solution to this problem accounts for numerous behaviors of animals during both short- and long-term training. Our analysis focused on characteristics of the oculomotor system during learning, including the effects of time passage. However, we suggest that learning and memory in other paradigms, such as reach adaptation, adaptation of visual neurons and retrieval of declarative memories, largely follow similar rules.

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Figure 1: A generative model for changes in the motor plant and the corresponding responses of a Bayesian learner to performance errors.
Figure 2: Short-term and long-term behavior in response to saccadic gain changes.
Figure 3: The double reversal model.
Figure 4: The Bayesian learner outside of movement settings.

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Acknowledgements

We want to thank M. Smith and J. Krakauer for inspiring discussions, and the anonymous reviewers whose comments significantly improved this work. Funding for this work was through a Computational Neuroscience Research Grant from the US National Institute of Health to the three authors. K.P.K. was also supported by a German Science Foundation Heisenberg Stipend. J.B.T. was also supported by the P.E. Newton Career Development Chair.

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Correspondence to Konrad P Kording.

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Supplementary Scripts

ZIP file containing a compressed directory, which can be uncompressed using 7Zip, WinZip, Unzip or other decompression programs that extract zip files. The directory contains the MATLAB scripts and functions used in this article, along with a text file that describes each file. All of the MATLAB files can be viewed with any text editor and executed by MATLAB version 7.0. (ZIP 14 kb)

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Kording, K., Tenenbaum, J. & Shadmehr, R. The dynamics of memory as a consequence of optimal adaptation to a changing body. Nat Neurosci 10, 779–786 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1901

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