The self-trapping attractor neural network-part II: properties of a sparsely connected model storing multiple memories

In a previous paper, the self-trapping network (STN) was introduced as more biologically realistic than attractor neural networks (ANNs) based on the Ising model. This paper extends the previous analysis of a one-dimensional (1-D) STN storing a single memory to a model that stores multiple memories and that possesses generalized sparse connectivity. The energy, Lyapunov function, and partition function derived for the 1-D model are generalized to the case of an attractor network with only near-neighbor synapses, coupled to a system that computes memory overlaps. Simulations reveal that 1) the STN dramatically reduces intra-ANN connectivity without severly affecting the size of basins of attraction, with fast self-trapping able to sustain attractors even in the absence of intra-ANN synapses; 2) the basins of attraction can be controlled by a single free parameter, providing natural attention-like effects; 3) the same parameter determines the memory capacity of the network, and the latter is much less dependent than a standard ANN on the noise level of the system; 4) the STN serves as a useful memory for some correlated memory patterns for which the standard ANN totally fails; 5) the STN can store a large number of sparse patterns; and 6) a Monte Carlo procedure, a competitive neural network, and binary neurons with thresholds can be used to induce self-trapping.