title: Visual learning alters the spontaneous activity of the resting human brain: an fNIRS study.
abstract: Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) has been widely used to investigate spontaneous brain activity that exhibits correlated fluctuations. RSFC has been found to be changed along the developmental course and after learning. Here, we investigated whether and how visual learning modified the resting oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) functional brain connectivity by using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We demonstrate that after five days of training on an orientation discrimination task constrained to the right visual field, resting HbO functional connectivity and directed mutual interaction between high-level visual cortex and frontal/central areas involved in the top-down control were significantly modified. Moreover, these changes, which correlated with the degree of perceptual learning, were not limited to the trained left visual cortex. We conclude that the resting oxygenated hemoglobin functional connectivity could be used as a predictor of visual learning, supporting the involvement of high-level visual cortex and the involvement of frontal/central cortex during visual perceptual learning.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China ; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Haijing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China ; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China ; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Yongming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China ; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China ; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins / Q000032:analysis*; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology*; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared / Q000379:methods*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010108:Oxyhemoglobins