Associative neural network.

An associative neural network (ASNN) is an ensemble-based method inspired by the function and structure of neural network correlations in brain. The method operates by simulating the short- and long-term memory of neural networks. The long-term memory is represented by ensemble of neural network weights, while the short-term memory is stored as a pool of internal neural network representations of the input pattern. The organization allows the ASNN to incorporate new data cases in short-term memory and provides high generalization ability without the need to retrain the neural network weights. The method can be used to estimate a bias and the applicability domain of models. Applications of the ASNN in QSAR and drug design are exemplified. The developed algorithm is available at http://www.vcclab.org.