Topic: semantic memory

Fastball is a novel, fast, passive biomarker of cognitive function, that uses cheap, scalable electroencephalography (EEG) technology. It is sensitive to early dementia; language, education, effort and anxiety independent and can be used in any setting including patients’ homes. It can capture a range of cognitive functions including semantic memory, recognition memory, attention and visual function. We have shown that Fastball is sensitive to cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment, with data collected in patients’ homes using low-cost portable EEG. We are n

What circuit mechanisms underlie the encoding and retrieval of spatial memory? In standard models, neurons have discrete fields that map onto locations, which are associated with actions [1]. Given that spatial-memory regions (such as hippocampus and entorhinal cortex) have recurrent architectures, it is unclear if this feedforward association mechanism is the only way in which spatial memories can be stored. Here, we propose a new mechanism for spatial memory that is derived from reverse-engineering recurrent neural networks (RNNs). We train RNNs on a spatial navigation task posed as a rein

Prior neuroimaging studies have shown that words associated with actions, like "grasp" and "kick," activate specific regions in the cortical motor system corresponding to the body parts involved in those actions. This activation follows the somatotopic mapping of these body parts. The variation in activation could suggest differences in how different types of symbols are processed semantically, or it might be a byproduct of activities related to imagining scenes associated with the meanings of these symbols. To address this debate, we simulated the semantic learning of realistic action words i