Zhang Kaihua, Wang Hui, Dong Guangheng, Wang Mengxing, Zhang Jilei, Zhang Hui, Meng Weixia, Du Xiaoxia
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance & Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China.
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance & Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; Medical Imaging Department, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215163, China.
Neurosci Lett. 2016 Aug 26;629:202-207. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.07.015. Epub 2016 Jul 12.
In our daily lives, we often receive performance feedback (PF) during imitative learning, and we adjust our behaviors accordingly to improve performance. However, little is known regarding the neural mechanisms underlying this learning process. We hypothesized that appropriate PF would enhance neural activation or recruit additional brain areas during subsequent action imitation. Pictures of 20 different finger gestures without any social meaning were shown to participants from the first-person perspective. Imitation with or without PF was investigated by functional magnetic resonance imaging in 30 healthy subjects. The PF was given by a real person or by a computer. PF from a real person induced hyperactivation of the parietal lobe (precuneus and cuneus), cingulate cortex (posterior and anterior), temporal lobe (superior and transverse temporal gyri), and cerebellum (posterior and anterior lobes) during subsequent imitation. The positive PF and negative PF from a real person, induced the activation of more brain areas during the following imitation. The hyperactivation of the cerebellum, posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, and cuneus suggests that the subjects exhibited enhanced motor control and visual attention during imitation after PF. Additionally, random PF from a computer had a small effect on the next imitation. We suggest that positive and accurate PF may be helpful for imitation learning.
