Part 3: Brain science, information science and associative memory model

I review recent progress on the associative memory model, which is a kind of neural network model. First, I introduce this model and a mathematical theory called statistical neurodynamics describing its properties. Next, I discuss an associative memory model with hierarchically correlated memory patterns. Initially, in this model, the state approaches a mixed state that is a superposition of memory patterns. After that, it diverges from the mixed state, and finally converges to a memory pattern. I show that this retrieval dynamics can qualitatively replicate the temporal dynamics of face-responsive neurons in the inferior temporal cortex, which is considered to be the final stage of visual perception in the brain. Finally, I show an unexpected link between associative memory and mobile phones (CDMA). The mathematical structure of the CDMA multi-user detection problem resembles that of the associative memory model. It enables us to apply a theoretical framework of the associative memory model to CDMA.