Cognitive Algorithms and Systems of Episodic Memory, Semantic Memory, and Their Learnings

Abstract

Explicit (declarative) memory, the memory that can be “declared” in words or languages, is made up of two dissociated parts: episodic memory and semantic memory. This dissociation has its neuroanatomical basis–episodic memory is mostly associated with the hippocampus and semantic memory with the neocortex. The two memories, on the other hand, are closely related. Lesions in the hippocampus often result in various impairments of explicit memory, e.g., anterograde, retrograde and developmental amnesias, and semantic learning deficit. These impairments provide opportunities for us to understand how the two memories may be acquired, stored, and organized. This chapter reviews several cognitive systems that are centered to mimic explicit memory, and other systems that are neuroanatomically based and are implemented to simulate those memory impairments mentioned above. This review includes the structures of the computational systems, their learning rules, and their simulations of memory acquisition and impairments.