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Explainable neural networks that simulate reasoning

Nature Computational Science volume 1, pages 607–618 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

The success of deep neural networks suggests that cognition may emerge from indecipherable patterns of distributed neural activity. Yet these networks are pattern-matching black boxes that cannot simulate higher cognitive functions and lack numerous neurobiological features. Accordingly, they are currently insufficient computational models for understanding neural information processing. Here, we show how neural circuits can directly encode cognitive processes via simple neurobiological principles. To illustrate, we implemented this model in a non-gradient-based machine learning algorithm to train deep neural networks called essence neural networks (ENNs). Neural information processing in ENNs is intrinsically explainable, even on benchmark computer vision tasks. ENNs can also simulate higher cognitive functions such as deliberation, symbolic reasoning and out-of-distribution generalization. ENNs display network properties associated with the brain, such as modularity, distributed and localist firing, and adversarial robustness. ENNs establish a broad computational framework to decipher the neural basis of cognition and pursue artificial general intelligence.

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Fig. 1: Connectivity principles of ENNs.
Fig. 2: The explainability of ENN neural structure and firing.
Fig. 3: Structural analysis and flexibility of ENNs.
Fig. 4: Transferring algorithms from simple to complex problems.
Fig. 5: Decision boundary robustness to noise and adversarial attacks.

Data availability

The datasets used in this work are included with the code59. The MNIST and CIFAR-10 datasets are publicly available5,45. Source data are provided with this paper.

Code availability

The code used to build, train and analyze ENNs as well as the various training and test sets have been deposited in Code Ocean59.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Cecil H. and Ida Green Foundation, the Welch Foundation (grant no. I-1958-20180324) and the anonymous-donor-supported UTSW High Risk/High Impact grant for funding this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Green Center for Systems Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Paul J. Blazek & Milo M. Lin

  2. Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Paul J. Blazek & Milo M. Lin

  3. Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Paul J. Blazek & Milo M. Lin

  4. Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Milo M. Lin

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  1. Paul J. Blazek
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Contributions

P.J.B. and M.M.L. designed the research. P.J.B. performed the research, contributed new analytical tools and analyzed data. P.J.B. and M.M.L. wrote the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Milo M. Lin.

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Competing interests

The authors have filed an international patent related to this work (PCT/US2021/019470).

Additional information

Peer review information Nature Computational Science thanks the anonymous reviewers for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Handling editor: Ananya Rastogi, in collaboration with the Nature Computational Science team.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Figs. 1–10, text, Table 1 and references.

Source data

Source Data Fig. 2

Images, connectivity matrices and neuron activity level matrices.

Source Data Fig. 3

Images and network performance graphical data.

Source Data Fig. 4

Network performance data used to generate graphs.

Source Data Fig. 5

Images and network performance data used to generate graphs.

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Blazek, P.J., Lin, M.M. Explainable neural networks that simulate reasoning. Nat Comput Sci 1, 607–618 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43588-021-00132-w

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