Abstract
The present fMRI study investigated the neural areas involved in implicit perceptual sequence learning. To obtain more insight in the functional contributions of the brain areas, we tracked both the behavioral and neural time course of the learning process, using a perceptual serial color matching task. Next, to investigate whether the neural time course was specific for perceptual information, imaging results were compared to the results of implicit motor sequence learning, previously investigated using an identical serial color matching task (Gheysen et al., 2010). Results indicated that implicit sequences can be acquired by at least two neural systems: the caudate nucleus and the hippocampus, having different operating principles. The caudate nucleus contributed to the implicit sequence learning process for perceptual as well as motor information in a similar and gradual way. The hippocampus, on the other hand, was engaged in a much faster learning process which was more pronounced for the motor compared to the perceptual task. Interestingly, the perceptual and motor learning process occurred on a comparable implicit level, suggesting that consciousness is not the main determinant factor dissociating the hippocampal from the caudate learning system. This study is not only the first to successfully and unambiguously compare brain activation between perceptual and motor levels of implicit sequence learning, it also provides new insights into the specific hippocampal and caudate learning function.
Highlights
Sequence learning lies at the heart of human cognition and forms the basis for efficient and adaptive behavior (Lashley, 1951)
The present study investigated the following two questions: (1) which brain areas support implicit perceptual sequence learning and how do their neural time course relate to the behavioral time course of sequence learning; (2) are these brain areas specific for perceptual information or do they play a similar role for motor information, i.e., can their function be generalized to www.frontiersin.org different modalities of implicit sequence learning? To address the first question, participants were scanned over two sessions while performing the perceptual serial color matching task
IMAGING RESULTS Because behavioral results showed that perceptual sequence learning reaction time (RT) effects were only present from the second session onward, general linear model (GLM) analyses were focused on the second scanning session
Summary
Sequence learning lies at the heart of human cognition and forms the basis for efficient and adaptive behavior (Lashley, 1951). Are our everyday motor skills highly structured in a sequential manner, our surrounding perceptual world is characterized by sequential regularities, e.g., the sequence of sounds in a song, letters in a word, or scenes during our daily walk home. The finding that such complex sequences can be learned outside of conscious awareness (Stadler and Frensch, 1998) has prompted researchers for many years to investigate the brain mechanisms underlying implicit sequence learning. We aimed to identify the neural basis of implicit perceptual sequence learning and to clarify whether the neural activation is unique for perceptual information, or can be generalized to other (e.g., motor related) types of information
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