Warum KI möglicherweise eher wie die andere Hälfte des Gehirns nachdenken muss

> For over a century, neurons were seen as the engines of thought, and memory was believed to reside in the strength of their wiring (synapses). But a new model from IBM researchers suggests this view may be incomplete. It also raises the possibility that the biology behind human memory could help guide the development of the next generation of artificial intelligence.

> The theory places astrocytes, non-neuronal glial cells that comprise approximately half of the brain, at the center of a **previously unrecognized memory system.** Long considered **passive support cells**, astrocytes may play an active role in **storing and retrieving information.** The model describes a form of associative memory that shares key features with advanced AI systems, including Transformers

> “There’s a mountain of evidence showing astrocytes are involved in cognition,” Leo Kozachkov, an IBM Researcher. This model builds on a long history of neuroscience research into the “tripartite synapse,” where an astrocyte envelops the connection between two neurons. In the IBM team’s formulation, astrocytes are not passive observers. Instead, they take part in the processing and distribution of information across the brain in ways that resemble the memory-handling capabilities of some of the most sophisticated AI systems in use today.

> Experimental studies have found that astrocytes modulate synaptic strength, respond to neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, and appear to play a role in forming and retrieving long-term memories. These findings have **not** always fit neatly into standard computational models, and their implications have **remained difficult to integrate** into a coherent theoretical framework.

> This is the context in which the IBM team’s model enters. It proposes a system in which neurons, synapses and astrocyte processes interact through a **shared dynamical network.** Each element is governed by equations derived from energy-based mathematical principles. The resulting system evolves toward stable attractor states that correspond to stored memories.

> The central insight is that **astrocytes can expand the memory capacity of the system.** Their internal calcium signaling networks enable the integration and propagation of information across large spatial regions. This architecture supports a more distributed and flexible type of memory storage than what is possible in neuron-only networks.