6533b85bfe1ef96bd12baa7f
RESEARCH PRODUCT
The what and how of observational learning
Giacomo KochLaura PetrosiniCarlo CaltagironeMassimiliano OliveriSara Torrierosubject
AdultMaleCognitive Neurosciencemedicine.medical_treatmentrTMS cerebellum DLPFCPrefrontal CortexExperimental and Cognitive PsychologyCognitive neurosciencecerebellum; frontal cortex; observational learning; tmsbehavioral disciplines and activitiesTask (project management)NOBehavioral NeuroscienceMental ProcessesNeuroimagingtmsReference ValuesCerebellummental disordersmedicineBiological neural networkHumansObservational learningReference Values; Analysis of Variance; Humans; Cerebellum; Neural Inhibition; Prefrontal Cortex; Motor Skills; Imitative Behavior; Problem Solving; Social Perception; Imagination; Mental Processes; Adult; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Female; MaleProblem SolvingAnalysis of VarianceSettore M-PSI/02 - Psicobiologia E Psicologia Fisiologicafrontal cortexNeural InhibitionCognitionImitative BehaviorTranscranial Magnetic StimulationDorsolateral prefrontal cortexTranscranial magnetic stimulationobservational learningmedicine.anatomical_structureSocial Perceptionnervous systemMotor SkillsImaginationSettore MED/26 - NeurologiaFemalePsychologyNeurosciencepsychological phenomena and processesCognitive psychologydescription
Abstract Neuroimaging evidence increasingly supports the hypothesis that the same neural structures subserve the execution, imagination, and observation of actions. We used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to investigate the specific roles of cerebellum and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in observational learning of a visuomotor task. Subjects observed an actor detecting a hidden sequence in a matrix and then performed the task detecting either the previously observed sequence or a new one. rTMS applied over the cerebellum before the observational training interfered with performance of the new sequence, whereas rTMS applied over the DLPFC interfered with performance of the previously observed one. When rTMS applied over cerebellar or prefrontal site was delivered after the observational training, no influence was observed on the execution of the task. These results furnish new insights on the neural circuitry involved in the single component of observational learning and allow us to hypothesize that cerebellum and DLPFC interact in planning actions, the former by permitting the acquisition of procedural competencies and the latter by providing flexibility among already acquired solutions.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-10-01 |