Associative memory models: from the cell-assembly theory to biophysically detailed cortex simulations

The second half of the past century saw the emergence of a theory of cortical associative memory function originating in Donald Hebb's hypotheses on activity-dependent synaptic plasticity and cell-assembly formation and dynamics. This conceptual framework has today developed into a theory of attractor memory that brings together many experimental observations from different sources and levels of investigation into computational models displaying information-processing capabilities such as efficient associative memory and holistic perception. Here, we outline a development that might eventually lead to a neurobiologically grounded theory of cortical associative memory.