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Common mechanisms of human perceptual and motor learning

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 13, pages 658–664 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

The adult mammalian brain has a remarkable capacity to learn in both the perceptual and motor domains through the formation and consolidation of memories. Such practice-enabled procedural learning results in perceptual and motor skill improvements. Here, we examine evidence supporting the notion that perceptual and motor learning in humans exhibit analogous properties, including similarities in temporal dynamics and the interactions between primary cortical and higher-order brain areas. These similarities may point to the existence of a common general mechanism for learning in humans.

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Figure 1: Perceptual and motor learning.
Figure 2: Interplay between primary cortical processing and higher-order brain areas.

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Acknowledgements

We thank E. Dayan for useful suggestions in relation to this manuscript. This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), US National Institutes of Health. N.C. was supported by an NINDS Competitive Fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nitzan Censor is at the Human Cortical Physiology and Stroke Neurorehabilitation Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.,

    Nitzan Censor

  2. Dov Sagi is at the Department of Neurobiology, Brain Research, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.,

    Dov Sagi

  3. Leonardo G. Cohen is at the Human Cortical Physiology and Stroke Neurorehabilitation Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.,

    Leonardo G. Cohen

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  1. Nitzan Censor
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  2. Dov Sagi
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Correspondence to Nitzan Censor or Leonardo G. Cohen.

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Censor, N., Sagi, D. & Cohen, L. Common mechanisms of human perceptual and motor learning. Nat Rev Neurosci 13, 658–664 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3315

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