Artificial brains may need sleep for proper functioning

According to new research from Los Alamos National Laboratory, artificial brains too might require sleep for proper functioning.
“We study spiking neural networks, which are systems that learn much as living brains do,” said Los Alamos National Laboratory computer scientist Yijing Watkins.
“We were fascinated by the prospect of training a neuromorphic processor in a manner analogous to how humans and other biological systems learn from their environment during childhood development,” Watkins added.
The scientist and her research team found that the network simulations became unstable after continuous periods of unsupervised learning.
When they exposed the networks to states that are analogous to the waves that living brains experience during sleep, stability was restored. “It was as though we were giving the neural networks the equivalent of a good night’s rest,” said Watkins. (ANI)