Thompson R, Huestis P W, Yu J
Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1987 Jul;68(7):419-22.
Adult rats with bilateral lesions in the globus pallidus, substantia nigra, median raphe, midbrain central gray, or pontine reticular formation were tested for novel motor skill learning (sliding a barrel bolt to the right in order to open a door leading to a reward). Significantly impaired learning was found in animals with lesions to globus pallidus, substantia nigra, median raphe, or pontine reticular formation. These results combined with earlier findings suggest that the foregoing subcortical structures along with the regions of the ventrolateral and parafascicular nuclei of the thalamus constitute a nonspecific mechanism involved not only in motor learning but in discrimination and maze learning as well. This mechanism is contrasted with the more fashionable specific mechanisms which are involved in particular classes of learning; the sensorimotor cortex, for example, would be a component of the specific mechanism underlying motor learning. A subcortical nonspecific learning mechanism may also inhabit the human brain, as suggested by the clinical condition of "subcortical dementia."
对双侧苍白球、黑质、中缝正中核、中脑中央灰质或脑桥网状结构受损的成年大鼠进行了新运动技能学习测试（将桶栓向右滑动以打开一扇通往奖励的门）。结果发现，苍白球、黑质、中缝正中核或脑桥网状结构受损的动物学习能力显著受损。这些结果与早期研究结果相结合表明，上述皮质下结构与丘脑腹外侧核和束旁核区域共同构成了一种非特异性机制，不仅参与运动学习，还参与辨别和迷宫学习。这种机制与更流行的特定机制形成对比，特定机制参与特定类型的学习；例如，感觉运动皮层将是运动学习潜在特定机制的一个组成部分。“皮质下痴呆”的临床症状表明，皮质下非特异性学习机制也可能存在于人类大脑中。
