Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada; Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, Canada; Learning in Machines and Brains Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada.
Hospital for Sick Children, Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, Canada; Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada.
Neuron. 2017 Jun 21;94(6):1071-1084. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.04.037.
The predominant focus in the neurobiological study of memory has been on remembering (persistence). However, recent studies have considered the neurobiology of forgetting (transience). Here we draw parallels between neurobiological and computational mechanisms underlying transience. We propose that it is the interaction between persistence and transience that allows for intelligent decision-making in dynamic, noisy environments. Specifically, we argue that transience (1) enhances flexibility, by reducing the influence of outdated information on memory-guided decision-making, and (2) prevents overfitting to specific past events, thereby promoting generalization. According to this view, the goal of memory is not the transmission of information through time, per se. Rather, the goal of memory is to optimize decision-making. As such, transience is as important as persistence in mnemonic systems.
神经生物学对记忆的研究主要集中在记忆（持续性）上。然而，最近的研究已经考虑了遗忘（短暂性）的神经生物学。在这里，我们在神经生物学和计算机制之间画了一个平行线，这些机制是短暂性的基础。我们提出，正是持续性和短暂性之间的相互作用，使得在动态、嘈杂的环境中进行智能决策成为可能。具体来说，我们认为短暂性（1）通过减少过时信息对记忆引导决策的影响，增强了灵活性，（2）防止对特定过去事件的过度拟合，从而促进了泛化。根据这一观点，记忆的目标本身并不是信息在时间上的传递。相反，记忆的目标是优化决策。因此，在记忆系统中，短暂性和持续性一样重要。
