title: Different dynamics of performance and brain activation in the time course of perceptual learning.
abstract: Perceptual learning is regarded as a manifestation of experience-dependent plasticity in the sensory systems, yet the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. We measured the dynamics of performance on a visual task and brain activation in the human primary visual cortex (V1) across the time course of perceptual learning. Within the first few weeks of training, brain activation in a V1 subregion corresponding to the trained visual field quadrant and task performance both increased. However, while performance levels then saturated and were maintained at a constant level, brain activation in the corresponding areas decreased to the level observed before training. These findings indicate that there are distinct temporal phases in the time course of perceptual learning, related to differential dynamics of BOLD activity in visual cortex.
authors: Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 13th Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
authors: Yuko
authors: Y
authors: Yotsumoto
authors: Takeo
authors: T
authors: Watanabe
authors: Yuka
authors: Y
authors: Sasaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen