Neural network model of context-dependent neuronal activity in inferotemporal cortex

Neuronal activities related to context-dependent recall have been found in the monkey inferotemporal cortex. If we set the same task for an artificial neural network, however, a serious computational difficulty arises. In the present paper, we overcome this difficulty by implementing a novel method of contextual modulation, termed selective desensitization, and construct a neural network model that performs the same context-dependent memory task as that assigned to the monkey. The model, being consistent with the anatomical structure of the inferotemporal lobe, as well as with physiological findings, not only reproduces the empirical data well but also gives a clear account for a phenomenon that had not been explicable to date. This strongly suggests that the brain implements context-dependent recall based on the same principle as adopted in the model.