Weuthen Alexander, Kirschner Hans, Ullsperger Markus
Institute of Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital/Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany.
Commun Psychol. 2025 Jan 30;3(1):17. doi: 10.1038/s44271-025-00199-5.
Learning an association does not always succeed on the first attempt. Previous studies associated increased error signals in posterior medial frontal cortex with improved memory formation. However, the neurophysiological mechanisms that facilitate post-error learning remain poorly understood. To address this gap, participants performed a feedback-based association learning task and a 1-back localizer task. Increased hemodynamic responses in posterior medial frontal cortex were found for internal and external origins of memory error evidence, and during post-error encoding success as quantified by subsequent recall of face-associated memories. A localizer-based machine learning model displayed a network of cognitive control regions, including posterior medial frontal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, whose activity was related to face-processing evidence in the fusiform face area. Representation strength was higher during failed recall and increased during encoding when subsequent recall succeeded. These data enhance our understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms of adaptive learning by linking the need for learning with increased processing of the relevant stimulus category.
学习一种关联并非总是在首次尝试时就能成功。先前的研究将后内侧额叶皮质中错误信号的增加与记忆形成的改善联系起来。然而，促进错误后学习的神经生理机制仍知之甚少。为了填补这一空白，参与者进行了一项基于反馈的关联学习任务和一项1-back定位任务。发现后内侧额叶皮质中血液动力学反应增加，这与记忆错误证据的内部和外部来源有关，并且在通过随后对面部相关记忆的回忆所量化的错误后编码成功期间也会出现。基于定位器的机器学习模型显示了一个认知控制区域网络，包括后内侧额叶和背外侧前额叶皮质，其活动与梭状面孔区的面孔处理证据有关。在回忆失败时表征强度较高，而在随后回忆成功时编码期间表征强度增加。这些数据通过将学习需求与相关刺激类别的更多处理联系起来，增强了我们对适应性学习神经生理机制的理解。
