Short-term plasticity recalls forgotten memories through a trampoline mechanism
Martina Del Gaudio, Federico Ghimenti, Surya Ganguli

TL;DR
This paper demonstrates that short-term synaptic plasticity can enhance memory recall in associative networks by creating a trampoline-like energy landscape, enabling retrieval of memories that would otherwise be forgotten.
Contribution
It introduces a novel mechanism showing how short-term plasticity dynamically influences memory retrieval, extending understanding of associative memory models.
Findings
Short-term plasticity marginally increases critical memory capacity.
It dramatically improves recall of forgotten memories through a trampoline-like energy landscape.
An optimal time constant for plasticity maximizes memory retrieval.
Abstract
We analyze continuous Hopfield associative memories augmented by additional, rapid short-term associative synaptic plasticity. Through the cavity method, we determine the boundary between the retrieval and forgetting, or spin-glass phase, of the network as a function of the fraction of stored memories and the neuronal gain. We find that short-term synaptic plasticity yields marginal improvements in critical memory capacity. However, through dynamical mean field theory, backed by extensive numerical simulations, we find that short-term synaptic plasticity has a dramatic impact on memory retrieval above the critical capacity. When short-term synaptic plasticity is turned on, the combined neuronal and synaptic dynamics descends a high-dimensional energy landscape over both neurons and synapses. The energy landscape over neurons alone is thus dynamic, and is lowered in the vicinity of…
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Taxonomy
TopicsNeural dynamics and brain function · Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research · Memory and Neural Mechanisms
