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van der Plas M, Failla A, Robertson EM. Neuroscience: Memory modification without catastrophe. Curr Biol 2024; 34:R281-R284. [PMID: 38593772 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Adaptive behaviour is supported by changes in neuronal networks. Insight into maintaining these memories - preventing their catastrophic loss - despite further network changes occurring due to novel learning is provided in a new study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mircea van der Plas
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QB, UK
| | - Alberto Failla
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QB, UK
| | - Edwin M Robertson
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QB, UK.
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Johnson BP, Iturrate I, Fakhreddine RY, Bönstrup M, Buch ER, Robertson EM, Cohen LG. Generalization of procedural motor sequence learning after a single practice trial. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2023; 8:45. [PMID: 37803003 PMCID: PMC10558563 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-023-00194-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
When humans begin learning new motor skills, they typically display early rapid performance improvements. It is not well understood how knowledge acquired during this early skill learning period generalizes to new, related skills. Here, we addressed this question by investigating factors influencing generalization of early learning from a skill A to a different, but related skill B. Early skill generalization was tested over four experiments (N = 2095). Subjects successively learned two related motor sequence skills (skills A and B) over different practice schedules. Skill A and B sequences shared ordinal (i.e., matching keypress locations), transitional (i.e., ordered keypress pairs), parsing rule (i.e., distinct sequence events like repeated keypresses that can be used as a breakpoint for segmenting the sequence into smaller units) structures, or possessed no structure similarities. Results showed generalization for shared parsing rule structure between skills A and B after only a single 10-second practice trial of skill A. Manipulating the initial practice exposure to skill A (1 to 12 trials) and inter-practice rest interval (0-30 s) between skills A and B had no impact on parsing rule structure generalization. Furthermore, this generalization was not explained by stronger sensorimotor mapping between individual keypress actions and their symbolic representations. In contrast, learning from skill A did not generalize to skill B during early learning when the sequences shared only ordinal or transitional structure features. These results document sequence structure that can be very rapidly generalized during initial learning to facilitate generalization of skill.
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Affiliation(s)
- B P Johnson
- Human Cortical Physiology and Neurorehabilitation Section, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda, USA
- Washington University in St Louis, St. Louis, USA
| | - I Iturrate
- Human Cortical Physiology and Neurorehabilitation Section, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda, USA
- Amazon EU, Barcelona, Spain
| | - R Y Fakhreddine
- Human Cortical Physiology and Neurorehabilitation Section, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda, USA
- UT Austin, Austin, USA
| | | | - E R Buch
- Human Cortical Physiology and Neurorehabilitation Section, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda, USA.
| | - E M Robertson
- Center for Cognitive Neuroimaging, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
| | - L G Cohen
- Human Cortical Physiology and Neurorehabilitation Section, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda, USA.
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Bracco M, Mutanen TP, Veniero D, Thut G, Robertson EM. Distinct frequencies balance segregation with interaction between different memory types within a prefrontal circuit. Curr Biol 2023:S0960-9822(23)00622-X. [PMID: 37269827 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.05.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Once formed, the fate of memory is uncertain. Subsequent offline interactions between even different memory types (actions versus words) modify retention.1,2,3,4,5,6 These interactions may occur due to different oscillations functionally linking together different memory types within a circuit.7,8,9,10,11,12,13 With memory processing driving the circuit, it may become less susceptible to external influences.14 We tested this prediction by perturbing the human brain with single pulses of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and simultaneously measuring the brain activity changes with electroencephalography (EEG15,16,17). Stimulation was applied over brain areas that contribute to memory processing (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, DLPFC; primary motor cortex, M1) at baseline and offline, after memory formation, when memory interactions are known to occur.1,4,6,10,18 The EEG response decreased offline (compared with baseline) within the alpha/beta frequency bands when stimulation was applied to the DLPFC, but not to M1. This decrease exclusively followed memory tasks that interact, revealing that it was due specifically to the interaction, not task performance. It remained even when the order of the memory tasks was changed and so was present, regardless of how the memory interaction was produced. Finally, the decrease within alpha power (but not beta) was correlated with impairment in motor memory, whereas the decrease in beta power (but not alpha) was correlated with impairment in word-list memory. Thus, different memory types are linked to different frequency bands within a DLPFC circuit, and the power of these bands shapes the balance between interaction and segregation between these memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Bracco
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Inserm, CNRS, APHP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, 47 Bd de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Tuomas P Mutanen
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, P.O. box 12200, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Domenica Veniero
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Gregor Thut
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QB, UK
| | - Edwin M Robertson
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QB, UK.
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Gasser C, Davachi L. Cross-Modal Facilitation of Episodic Memory by Sequential Action Execution. Psychol Sci 2023; 34:581-602. [PMID: 37027172 PMCID: PMC10331092 DOI: 10.1177/09567976231158292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Throughout our lives, the actions we produce are often highly familiar and repetitive (e.g., commuting to work). However, layered upon these routine actions are novel, episodic experiences. Substantial research has shown that prior knowledge can facilitate learning of conceptually related new information. But despite the central role our behavior plays in real-world experience, it remains unclear how engagement in a familiar sequence of actions influences memory for unrelated, nonmotor information coincident with those actions. To investigate this, we had healthy young adults encode novel items while simultaneously following a sequence of actions (key presses) that was either predictable and well-learned or random. Across three experiments (N = 80 each), we found that temporal order memory, but not item memory, was significantly enhanced for novel items encoded while participants executed predictable compared with random action sequences. These results suggest that engaging in familiar behaviors during novel learning scaffolds within-event temporal memory, an essential feature of episodic experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lila Davachi
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University
- The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, New York
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Robertson EM. Memory leaks: information shared across memory systems. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:544-554. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Johnson BP, Cohen LG, Westlake KP. The Intersection of Offline Learning and Rehabilitation. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:667574. [PMID: 33967725 PMCID: PMC8098688 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.667574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Brian P Johnson
- Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Human Cortical Physiology and Neurorehabilitation Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Leonardo G Cohen
- Human Cortical Physiology and Neurorehabilitation Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Kelly P Westlake
- Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Giustiniani A, Tarantino V, Bracco M, Bonaventura RE, Oliveri M. Functional Role of Cerebellar Gamma Frequency in Motor Sequences Learning: a tACS Study. THE CEREBELLUM 2021; 20:913-921. [PMID: 33822311 PMCID: PMC8674154 DOI: 10.1007/s12311-021-01255-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Although the role of the cerebellum in motor sequences learning is widely established, the specific function of its gamma oscillatory activity still remains unclear. In the present study, gamma (50 Hz)-or delta (1 Hz)-transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) was applied to the right cerebellar cortex while participants performed an implicit serial reaction time task (SRTT) with their right hand. The task required the execution of motor sequences simultaneously with the presentation of a series of visual stimuli. The same sequence was repeated across multiple task blocks (from blocks 2 to 5 and from blocks 7 to 8), whereas in other blocks, new/pseudorandom sequences were reproduced (blocks 1 and 6). Task performance was examined before and during tACS. To test possible after-effects of cerebellar tACS on the contralateral primary motor cortex (M1), corticospinal excitability was assessed by examining the amplitude of motor potentials (MEP) evoked by single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Compared with delta stimulation, gamma-tACS applied during the SRTT impaired participants' performance in blocks where the same motor sequence was repeated but not in blocks where the new pseudorandom sequences were presented. Noteworthy, the later assessed corticospinal excitability was not affected. These results suggest that cerebellar gamma oscillations mediate the implicit acquisition of motor sequences but do not affect task execution itself. Overall, this study provides evidence of a specific role of cerebellar gamma oscillatory activity in implicit motor learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Giustiniani
- NEUROFARBA Department, University of Firenze, 50139, Firenze, Italy.,IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, 30126, Venezia, Italy.,Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Edificio 15, 90128, Palermo, Italy
| | - V Tarantino
- Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Edificio 15, 90128, Palermo, Italy.
| | - M Bracco
- Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Edificio 15, 90128, Palermo, Italy.,Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QB, UK
| | - R E Bonaventura
- Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Edificio 15, 90128, Palermo, Italy
| | - M Oliveri
- Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Edificio 15, 90128, Palermo, Italy.,NeuroTeam Life and Science, Via Libertà 112, 90144, Palermo, Italy
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