Neuroimaging Center and Institute of General Psychology, Biopsychology, and Methods of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Technische Universitaet Dresden, 01062 Germany.
Neuroimage. 2013 Mar;68:162-72. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.12.003. Epub 2012 Dec 13.
How does the human brain translate symbolic instructions into overt behavior? Previous studies suggested that this process relies on a rapid control transition from the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) to the anterior striatum (aSTR) and premotor cortex (PMC). The present fMRI study investigated whether the transfer from symbolic to pragmatic stimulus-response (S-R) rules relies on changes in the functional coupling among these and other areas and to which extent action goal representations might get integrated within this symbolic-pragmatic transfer. Goal integration processes were examined by manipulating the contingency between actions and differential outcomes (i.e. action goals). We observed a rapid strengthening of the functional coupling between the LPFC and the basal ganglia (aSTR and putamen) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) as well as between the LPFC and the anterior dorsal PMC (pre-PMd), the anterior inferior parietal lobule (aIPL), and the posterior superior parietal lobule (pSPL). Importantly, only some of these functional integration processes were sensitive to the outcome contingency manipulation, including LPFC couplings with aSTR, OFC, aIPL, and pre-PMd. This suggests that the symbolic-pragmatic rule transfer is governed by principles of both, instrumental learning (increasingly tighter coupling between LPFC and aSTR/OFC) and ideomotor learning (increasingly tighter coupling between LPFC and aIPL/pre-PMd). By contrast, increased functional coupling between LPFC and putamen was insensitive to outcome contingency possibly indicating an early stage of habit formation under instructed learning conditions.
人类大脑如何将符号指令转化为明显的行为？以前的研究表明，这个过程依赖于从外侧前额叶皮层（LPFC）到前纹状体（aSTR）和前运动皮层（PMC）的快速控制转换。本 fMRI 研究调查了从符号到语用刺激-反应（S-R）规则的转换是否依赖于这些和其他区域之间的功能耦合变化，以及动作目标表示在多大程度上可能在这个符号-语用转换中被整合。通过操纵动作和不同结果（即动作目标）之间的偶然性，研究了目标整合过程。我们观察到 LPFC 与基底神经节（aSTR 和壳核）和眶额皮层（OFC）之间以及 LPFC 与前背侧 PMC（pre-PMd）、前下顶叶小叶（aIPL）和后上顶叶小叶（pSPL）之间的功能耦合迅速增强。重要的是，这些功能整合过程中只有一些对结果偶然性的操纵敏感，包括 LPFC 与 aSTR、OFC、aIPL 和 pre-PMd 的耦合。这表明，符号-语用规则的转换受到工具学习（LPFC 和 aSTR/OFC 之间的耦合越来越紧）和意念运动学习（LPFC 和 aIPL/pre-PMd 之间的耦合越来越紧）原则的控制。相比之下，LPFC 和壳核之间增加的功能耦合对结果偶然性不敏感，这可能表明在指令学习条件下习惯形成的早期阶段。
