The superior colliculus has long been thought of as a rapid orienting center of the brain that allows the eyes and head to turn swiftly either toward or away from the sights and sounds in our environment.
Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla have discovered the molecule in the brain responsible for associating good or bad feelings with a memory.
Salk Professor Kay Tye has been selected as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator, joining a prestigious group of more than 250 HHMI investigators across the United States who are tackling important scientific questions, according to a Salk news release.
San Diego Community News Group
Published - 12/19/20 - 09:30 AM | 6311 views | 0
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Terrence Sejnowski, Kay Tye and Ben Tsuda. Credit: Salk Institute slideshow
Getting computers to “think” like humans is the holy grail of artificial intelligence, but human brains turn out to be tough acts to follow. The human brain is a master of applying previously learned knowledge to new situations and constantly refining what’s been learned. This ability to be adaptive has been hard to replicate in machines.
Now, Salk researchers have used a computational model of brain activity to simulate this process more accurately than ever before. The new model mimics how the brain’s prefrontal cortex uses a phenomenon known as “gating” to control the flow of information between different areas of neurons. It not only sheds light on the human brain, but could also inform the design of new artificial intelligence programs.
New model of brain activity could inform the design of improved artificial intelligence systems
Getting computers to think like humans is the holy grail of artificial intelligence, but human brains turn out to be tough acts to follow. The human brain is a master of applying previously learned knowledge to new situations and constantly refining what s been learned. This ability to be adaptive has been hard to replicate in machines.
Now, Salk researchers have used a computational model of brain activity to simulate this process more accurately than ever before. The new model mimics how the brain s prefrontal cortex uses a phenomenon known as gating to control the flow of information between different areas of neurons. It not only sheds light on the human brain, but could also inform the design of new artificial intelligence programs.