Journal article

Publication year: 2023

Pages: 240-254

Journal: Trends in Neurosciences

Volume number: 46

Issue number: 3

ISSN: 0166-2236

eISSN: 1878-108X

Open access status: Hybrid

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2022.12.008

Publisher: Cell Press

Abstract: 
Neuroscientists have long characterized the properties and functions of the ner-vous system, and are increasingly succeeding in answering how brains perform the tasks they do. But the question 'why' brains work the way they do is asked less often. The new ability to optimize artificial neural networks (ANNs) for perfor-mance on human-like tasks now enables us to approach these 'why' questions by asking when the properties of networks optimized for a given task mirror the behavioral and neural characteristics of humans performing the same task. Here we highlight the recent success of this strategy in explaining why the visual and auditory systems work the way they do, at both behavioral and neural levels.

Harvard Citation style: Kanwisher, N., Khosla, M. and Dobs, K. (2023) Using artificial neural networks to ask ?why? questions of minds and brains, Trends in Neurosciences, 46(3), pp. 240-254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2022.12.008

APA Citation style: Kanwisher, N., Khosla, M., & Dobs, K. (2023). Using artificial neural networks to ask ?why? questions of minds and brains. Trends in Neurosciences. 46(3), 240-254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2022.12.008