
==== Front
bioRxiv
BIORXIV
bioRxiv
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

10.1101/2024.05.22.595306
preprint
1
Article
Neuron-level Prediction and Noise can Implement Flexible Reward-Seeking Behavior
Li Chenguang http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2884-6414

Brenner Jonah http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0304-520X

Boesky Adam http://orcid.org/0009-0005-9830-9966

Ramanathan Sharad http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9445-1248

Kreiman Gabriel http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3505-8475

22 5 2024
2024.05.22.595306http://biorxiv.org/lookup/doi/10.1101/2024.05.22.595306
nihpp-2024.05.22.595306.pdf
Abstract

We show that neural networks can implement reward-seeking behavior using only local predictive updates and internal noise. These networks are capable of autonomous interaction with an environment and can switch between explore and exploit behavior, which we show is governed by attractor dynamics. Networks can adapt to changes in their architectures, environments, or motor interfaces without any external control signals. When networks have a choice between different tasks, they can form preferences that depend on patterns of noise and initialization, and we show that these preferences can be biased by network architectures or by changing learning rates. Our algorithm presents a flexible, biologically plausible way of interacting with environments without requiring an explicit environmental reward function, allowing for behavior that is both highly adaptable and autonomous. Code is available at https://github.com/ccli3896/PaN .
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pmc
