The connected learning brain

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

This paper extends a recent study on the neural mechanisms underlying initial learning through instruction, trial-and-error, and observation of stimulus–response associations. Adopting a network perspective, we examine the functional connectivity patterns during the early stages of learning, demonstrating that the brain undergoes extensive network reorganization, regardless of the acquisition method. Our findings reveal a general segregation of task-positive networks from the default mode network, which is paralleled by and may facilitate the integration within and between task-positive networks. This segregation-integration pattern likely reflects a balance between internal and external task-related processes, modulated by learning progression and task difficulty across different acquisition modes. Differences between learning conditions, as well as brain connectivity–behavior associations between rule learning and rule implementation, point to varying cognitive demands: more efficient learning in instruction-based learning, inhibitory processes in observation-based learning, and the integration of reward, valence, and somatomotor processes in trial-and-error learning. We conclude that while extensive neural reorganization occurs during the initial learning trials, irrespective of response implementation or acquisition mode, this reorganization also exhibits distinct features that support the unique demands of each learning method.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article numberbhaf123
JournalCerebral cortex
Volume35
Issue number5
Publication statusPublished - May 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 105006709039
PubMed 40422983
ORCID /0000-0001-9793-3859/work/185739903

Keywords

Keywords

  • brain networks, functional connectivity, initial learning