Hebbian

Hebbian theory and cognitive neuroscience

Hebbian learning is linked to cognitive processes like decision-making and social learning. The field of cognitive neuroscience has started to explore the intersection of Hebbian theory with brain regions responsible for reward processing and social cognition, such as the striatum and prefrontal cortex. In particular, striatal projections exposed to Hebbian models exhibit long-term potentiation and long-term depression in vivo. Additionally, models of the prefrontal cortex to stimuli ("mixed selectivity") are not entirely explained by random connectivity, but when a Hebbian paradigm is incorporated, the levels of mixed selectivity in the model are reached. It is hypothesized (e.g., by Peter Putnam and Robert W. Fuller) that Hebbian plasticity in these areas may underlie behaviors like habit formation, reinforcement learning, and even the development of social bonds.