School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China; National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Int J Psychophysiol. 2020 Jan;147:60-71. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.10.008. Epub 2019 Nov 14.
Theories of the neural basis of implicit learning postulated that specific regions were responsible for specific structures (e.g., supra-finite state) regardless of domain (e.g., vision, movement); others assumed that implicit learning was the adaptation that occurred within neural regions dealing with each domain. We explored whether people could implicitly learn to detect symmetry in biological motion, and if so, based on voxel-based morphometry (VBM), whether the learning was associated with language-related regions involved with supra-finite state grammars (such as symmetry) or motor-related regions. To explore the relevance of motor-related regions, we investigated brain structural changes in athletes compared with non-athletes and the advantage of athletes in implicit learning of action symmetry. Further, we examined whether motor imagery ability could account for the role of motor-related regions in this learning. Participants passively observed and memorized a number of biological motion sequences instantiating a symmetry rule and then judged new sequences as grammatical or not. Behaviorally, the implicit acquisition of symmetry could extend to process biological motion. Athletes showed superior classification accuracy and kinesthetic imagery ability, and gave more familiarity attributions. VBM results showed that athletes exhibited greater gray matter density in the right cerebellum, as well as the left lingual gyrus, the left precuneus, the left calcarine gyrus, and the right thalamus. Correlation analysis showed that the cerebellar gray matter density was positively associated with classification accuracy, which was mediated by kinesthetic imagery ability. Moreover, gray matter density of the left inferior frontal cortex was also positively associated with classification accuracy, indicating the involvement of regions related to symmetry learning across domains. The study provides initial evidence that implicit learning involves both adaptation within brain regions responsible for the specific domain as well as brain regions processing the same structure across domains, at least in a case of supra-finite state grammars.
内隐学习的神经基础理论假设，特定区域负责特定结构（例如，超有限状态），而与领域无关（例如，视觉、运动）；其他理论则假设内隐学习是发生在处理每个领域的神经区域内的适应。我们探索了人们是否能够内隐地学习检测生物运动中的对称性，如果可以，基于基于体素的形态测量学（VBM），学习是否与涉及超有限状态语法（如对称性）的语言相关区域或与运动相关的区域有关。为了探索与运动相关区域的相关性，我们研究了与非运动员相比，运动员的大脑结构变化，以及运动员在动作对称性的内隐学习中的优势。此外，我们还研究了运动意象能力是否可以解释运动相关区域在这种学习中的作用。参与者被动地观察和记忆许多体现对称性规则的生物运动序列，然后判断新序列是否具有语法。行为上，对称性的内隐习得可以扩展到处理生物运动。运动员表现出更高的分类准确性和动觉意象能力，并给予更多的熟悉归因。VBM 结果显示，运动员的右侧小脑、左侧舌回、左侧楔前叶、左侧距状回和右侧丘脑灰质密度较大。相关性分析表明，小脑灰质密度与分类准确性呈正相关，这与动觉意象能力有关。此外，左侧额下回的灰质密度与分类准确性呈正相关，表明涉及跨领域的对称性学习相关区域的参与。该研究提供了初步证据，表明内隐学习既涉及负责特定领域的大脑区域内的适应，也涉及跨领域处理相同结构的大脑区域，至少在超有限状态语法的情况下是如此。
