Abstract
Enhanced procedural learning has been evidenced in conditions where cognitive control is diminished, including hypnosis, disruption of prefrontal activity and non-optimal time of the day. Another condition depleting the availability of controlled resources is cognitive fatigue (CF). We tested the hypothesis that CF, eventually leading to diminished cognitive control, facilitates procedural sequence learning. In a two-day experiment, 23 young healthy adults were administered a serial reaction time task (SRTT) following the induction of high or low levels of CF, in a counterbalanced order. CF was induced using the Time load Dual-back (TloadDback) paradigm, a dual working memory task that allows tailoring cognitive load levels to the individual’s optimal performance capacity. In line with our hypothesis, reaction times (RT) in the SRTT were faster in the high- than in the low-level fatigue condition, and performance improvement was higher for the sequential than the motor components. Altogether, our results suggest a paradoxical, facilitating impact of CF on procedural motor sequence learning. We propose that facilitated learning in the high-level fatigue condition stems from a reduction in the cognitive resources devoted to cognitive control processes that normally oppose automatic procedural acquisition mechanisms.
Highlights
Animal studies (e.g., White and McDonald, 2002) and clinical evidence in humans (e.g., ; Heindel et al, 1989; Tranel et al, 1994) show that memory is not a unitary phenomenon
A repeated-measures ANOVA conducted on Reciprocal Reaction Times on the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) with Day (D0, D1 and D2) as the within-subject factor was not significant (F(1,22) = 0.14, p > 0.86; M ± SD Day 0 = 0.3 ± 0.02, Day 1 = 0.3 ± 0.03 and Day 2 = 0.31 ± 0.03), which did not support the assumption of differences in vigilance levels between the experimental sessions
The present study aimed at exploring a paradoxical, facilitating effect of cognitive fatigue (CF) due to prior exposure to High Cognitive Load (HCL) on procedural sequence learning in a Serial Reaction Time Task (SRTT)
Summary
Animal studies (e.g., White and McDonald, 2002) and clinical evidence in humans (e.g., ; Heindel et al, 1989; Tranel et al, 1994) show that memory is not a unitary phenomenon. Rather, it is best understood as the result of a combination of different systems or brain processes that either operate in parallel or enter in competition. There is a negative coupling between the activity of the anterior cingulate/medial prefrontal cortex and the striatum during explicit but not implicit memory
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