1. A neural associative memory structure for maintaining associations between memory address patterns and memory content patterns, the memory structure comprising: a neural network consisting of a set of synapses and a set of neurons, the synapses connecting neurons and storing the associations, accepting means for accepting an input query pattern, processing means for computing a matrix of synaptic potentials as a function of the memory address patterns and the memory content patterns, transforming the matrix of synaptic potentials into a matrix of synaptic weights, wherein each weight is chosen from a finite set of synaptic strengths, optimizing the neural network with respect to a target architecture chosen for implementation, and computing for each neuron an optimal output function for minimizing output noise, and output means for returning an output pattern to the input query pattern equal or similar to the memory content pattern associated with the memory address pattern equal or similar to the input query pattern.