Viewing and doing: similar cortical mechanisms for perceptual and motor learning.

Full Abstract

Historically, different groups of researchers have investigated the mechanisms of perceptual learning and motor learning. For sensory cortex, neurophysiological and psychophysical findings have linked changes in perception with altered neuronal tuning properties. However, less information has been forthcoming from motor cortex. This review compares recent findings on perceptual and motor learning, and suggests that similar mechanisms govern both. These mechanisms involve changes in both the center of neuronal tuning functions and their width or slope. The former reflects the values of the sensory or motor parameters that a neuron encodes, and the latter adjusts the encoding sensitivity. These similarities suggest that specific unifying principles for neural coding and computation exist across sensory and motor domains.

Author information

Author/s: Paz, Rony (R); Wise, Steven P (SP); Vaadia, Eilon (E);

Affiliation: Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-4401, USA. ronyp(-atsign-)hbf.huij.ac.il

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Review

Journal: Trends in neurosciences (Trends Neurosci), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2004-Aug; vol 27 (issue 8) : pp 496-503

Dates: Created 2004/07/23; Completed 2004/10/21; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 15271498, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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