Does the Brain Learn in the Same Way That Machines Learn? - Neuroscience News

Summary: Relating machine learning to biological learning, researchers say while the two approaches aren't interchangeable, they can be harnessed to offer insights into how the human brain works. Pinpointing how neural activity changes with learning is anything but black and white. Recently, some have posited that learning in the brain, or biological learning, can be thought of in terms of optimization, which is how learning occurs in artificial networks like computers or robots. A new perspectives piece co-authored by Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh researchers relates machine learning to biological learning, showing that the two approaches aren't interchangeable, yet can be harnessed to offer valuable insights into how the brain works. "How we quantify the changes we see in the brain and in a subject's behavior during learning is ever-evolving," says Byron Yu, professor of biomedical engineering and electrical and computer engineering.