Vékony Teodóra, Ambrus Géza Gergely, Janacsek Karolina, Nemeth Dezso
Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France.
Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.
Cortex. 2022 Mar;148:222-226. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.10.001. Epub 2021 Oct 22.
The role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in implicit sequence/statistical learning has received considerable attention in recent cognitive neuroscience research. Studies have used non-invasive brain stimulation methods to test whether the DLPFC plays a role in the incidental acquisition and expression of implicit sequence learning. In a recent study, Prutean et al. has concluded that stimulating the left or the right DLPFC might not affect the expression of implicit sequence learning measured by the Serial Reaction Time (SRT) task. The authors speculated that the previous results revealing improved implicit sequence learning following DLPFC stimulation might have been found because explicit awareness accumulated with the use of Alternating Serial Reaction Time (ASRT) task. Our response presents solid evidence that the ASRT task measures implicit sequence learning that remains unconscious both at the judgment and structural level. Therefore, contrary to the conclusion of Prutean et al., we argue that the DLPFC could have a crucial effect on implicit sequence learning that may be task-dependent. We suggest that future research should focus on the specific cognitive processes that may be differentially involved in the SRT versus ASRT tasks, and test what the role of the DLPFC is in those specific cognitive processes.
背外侧前额叶皮质(DLPFC)在隐性序列/统计学习中的作用在最近的认知神经科学研究中受到了相当多的关注。研究使用非侵入性脑刺激方法来测试DLPFC在隐性序列学习的偶然习得和表达中是否起作用。在最近的一项研究中,普鲁特安等人得出结论,刺激左侧或右侧DLPFC可能不会影响通过序列反应时(SRT)任务测量的隐性序列学习的表达。作者推测,先前研究发现DLPFC刺激后隐性序列学习有所改善,可能是因为使用交替序列反应时(ASRT)任务积累了明确意识。我们的回应提供了确凿证据,表明ASRT任务测量的是在判断和结构层面都保持无意识状态的隐性序列学习。因此,与普鲁特安等人的结论相反,我们认为DLPFC可能对隐性序列学习有至关重要的影响,这可能取决于任务。我们建议未来的研究应关注SRT任务与ASRT任务中可能存在差异的特定认知过程,并测试DLPFC在这些特定认知过程中的作用。