Flexibly chaining mental operations with spiking neurons

Hugo Chateau-Laurent, Chris Eliasmith, Serge Thill

Keywords: Neural engineering framework, Semantic pointer architecture, Nengo, Cognitive modeling, Global workspace theory, Access consciousness, Chained operations, Mental arithmetic

TL;DR: We developed a spiking neural architecture that flexibly routes selected concepts between cognitive processors.

Abstract: The ability to flexibly route information between brain regions is crucial to perform new multi-step tasks. The mechanisms postulated by the global neuronal workspace theory of consciousness are thought to underlie this ability. We developed a spiking neural architecture based on the theory, which is able to route concepts in order to perform a cognitive task composed of chained operations.