How the cortex learns an internal representation of the world and why the cortex relies on a layered structure remain poorly understood. Here, the authors propose a computational theory in which the neocortex engages in self-supervised predictive learning by integrating past sensory input and top-down context in layer 2/3 to anticipate future stimuli, suggesting that a fundamental role of cortical layering is to support self-supervised learning.
- Kevin Kermani Nejad
- Paul Anastasiades
- Rui Ponte Costa
