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A spiking neural network model of spatial and visual mental imagery

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Abstract

Mental imagery has long been of interest to the cognitive and neurosciences, but how it manifests itself in the mind and brain still remains unresolved. In pursuit of this, we built a spiking neural model that can perform mental rotation and mental map scanning using strategies informed by the psychology and neuroscience literature. Results: When performing mental map scanning, reaction times (RTs) for our model closely match behavioural studies (approx. 50 ms/cm), and replicate the cognitive penetrability of the task. When performing mental rotation, our model’s RTs once again closely match behavioural studies (model: 55–65°/s; studies: 60°/s), and performed the task using the same task strategy (whole unit rotation of simple and familiar objects through intermediary points). Overall, our model suggests: (1) vector-based approaches to neuro-cognitive modelling are well equipped to re-produce behavioural findings, and (2) the cognitive (in)penetrability of imagery tasks may depend on whether or not the task makes use of (non)symbolic processing.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the three anonymous reviewers and the journal editors for their thoughtful and detailed comments, as well as everyone at the Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo for providing a wealth of learning materials.

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  1. Institute of Cognitive Science, Carleton University, 2201 Dunton Tower 1125 Colonel BY Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada

    Sean N. Riley & Jim Davies

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  1. Sean N. Riley
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  2. Jim Davies
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Correspondence to Sean N. Riley.

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Riley, S.N., Davies, J. A spiking neural network model of spatial and visual mental imagery. Cogn Neurodyn 14, 239–251 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11571-019-09566-5

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