What have neural networks achieved?

[Michael A. Arbib]

>From: Adrian Robert <arobert at cogsci.ucsd.edu>
>Date: Fri, 21 Aug 98 12:33:46 -0700
>
>... everyone seems to have been coming up with
>commercial applications (using NNs as statistical analyzers) but as far as
>his
>first question -- about generation of insight into real brain function --
>zero.

My thanks to Adrian for reminding you of this question!

For example, I think that Houk and Barto, Kawato, and my group
(Schweighofer and Spoelstra) have begun to make real progress in
elucidating the role of cerebellum in motor control.

So: I would like to see responses of the form:

"Models A and B have shown the role of brain regions C and D in functions E
and F - see specific references G and H".

The real interest comes when claims appear to conflict:

Can we unify theories on the roles of cerebellum in both motor control and
classical conditioning?

What about the role of hippocampus in both spatial navigation and
consolidation of short term memory?

Thanks again, Adrian Robert!



 *********************************
 Michael A. Arbib
 USC Brain Project
 University of Southern California
 Los Angeles, CA 90089-2520, USA
 arbib at pollux.usc.edu
 (213) 740-9220; Fax: 213-740-5687
 http://www-hbp.usc.edu/HBP/