The neocortex performs a wide range of functions, including working memory, sensory perception, and motor planning. Despite this diversity in function, evidence suggests that the neocortex is made up of repeating subunits ("macrocolumns"), each of which is largely identical in circuitry. As such, the specific computations performed by these macrocolumns are of great interest to neuroscientists and AI researchers. Leading theories of this microcircuit include models of predictive coding, hierarchical temporal memory (HTM), and Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART). However, these models have not yet explained: (1) how microcircuits learn sequences input with delay (i.e., working memory); (2) how networks of columns coordinate processing on precise timescales; or (3) how top-down attention modulates sensory processing. I provide a theory of the neocortical microcircuit that extends prior models in all three ways. Additionally, this theory provides a novel working memory circuit that extends prior models to support simultaneous multi-item storage without disrupting ongoing sensory processing. I then use this theory to explain the functional origin of a diverse set of experimental findings, such as cortical oscillations.

中文翻译：

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感觉皮层新皮层微电路统一理论的尝试。


新皮质执行广泛的功能，包括工作记忆、感觉知觉和运动规划。尽管功能存在多样性，但有证据表明新皮质是由重复的亚基（“宏柱”）组成，每个亚基的电路基本相同。因此，神经科学家和人工智能研究人员对这些宏列执行的具体计算非常感兴趣。该微电路的主要理论包括预测编码模型、分层时间记忆（HTM）和自适应共振理论（ART）。然而，这些模型还没有解释：（1）微电路如何学习有延迟的序列输入（即工作记忆）； (2) 列网络如何在精确的时间尺度上协调处理；或（3）自上而下的注意力如何调节感觉处理。我提供了一种新皮质微电路理论，该理论以所有三种方式扩展了先前的模型。此外，该理论提供了一种新颖的工作记忆电路，可以扩展现有模型以支持同时多项目存储，而不会中断正在进行的感觉处理。然后，我用这个理论来解释一系列不同实验结果的功能起源，例如皮质振荡。