| Reference code: | PT/FB/BL-2008-201.03 |
| Location: | Arquivo PCA - Pasta 20/2008
|
Title:
| Posterior Parietal Cortex Involvement in Skill Learning
|
| Publication year: | 2012
|
URL:
| http://www.bial.com/imagem/Bial%20Sonhos%20Miolo_Total%20Bolsas.pdf
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| Abstract/Results: | ABSTRACT:
Objective: The main goal of the study was to use the human lesion method approach to explore
the putative association between posterior parietal cortex and skill learning.
Methods: 16 subjects with chronic unilateral damage to the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and 33
subjects with chronic unilateral damage to other cortical areas not involving the parietal cortex
(OCA) with comparable demographic characteristics were drawn from the Patient Registry of the
Division of Behavioral Neurology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Iowa Carver
College of Medicine. Posterior parietal cortex was defined as parietal cortex posterior to the postcentral
sulcus. Patients with multiple lesions or with damage to the cerebellum or the basal ganglia
were not included. All PPC and OCA participants underwent thorough neurological, neuroimaging,
and behavioral examinations. Behavioral data were also collected from 30 healthy
demographically comparable subjects recruited in the community (HC group). The behavioral
assessment included three skill learning paradigms (i.e., Mirror Reading, Mirror Tracing, and Rotary
Pursuit).
Results: The PPC group had significantly (p<.05) poorer baseline performance than the other
groups on the mirror reading task. A similar trend (p<.1) was found regarding the mirror tracing
task. The baseline performances on the rotary pursuit were not statistically different between
groups. However, PPC participants showed reduced improvement with practice on the rotary
pursuit task (p<.05), but not on the mirror reading and mirror tracing tasks. No clear associations
were found with lesion side.
Conclusions: The preliminary results suggest that the contribution of the posterior parietal cortex
to skill learning varies with stage of practice and with task requirements. In the initial stages of
practice, this cortical area appears to be particularly involved in tasks that require visuo-spatial
transformations (e.g., mirror reading and mirror tracing), but its contribution to the early
performance of visuomotor tracking tasks (e.g., rotary pursuit) does not seem to be critical.
However, the opposite associations were found after extended practice (i.e., damage to posterior
parietal cortex was related to impaired learning of visuomotor tracking skills, but not with
impaired learning of perceptual and perceptual-motor adaptation skills).
Discussion: Prior to this research project, no human lesion study had systematically analysed the
putative involvement of the posterior parietal cortex in learning different perceptual and
perceptual-motor skills. The reported results corroborate and extend findings from functional
neuroimaging studies.
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| Accessibility: | Document does not exist in file
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Language:
| eng
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Author:
| Cavaco, S.
|
Secondary author(s):
| Anderson, S., Pinto, P., Taipa, R.
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Document type:
| Conference abstract
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Number of reproductions:
| 1
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Reference:
| Cavaco, S., Anderson, S., Pinto, P., & Taipa, R. (2012). Posterior Parietal Cortex Involvement in Skill Learning. In Aquém e além do cérebro. Behind and beyond the brain. Proceedings of the 9th Symposium of Fundação Bial (p. 55/63). Porto: Fundação Bial.
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| Indexed document: | No
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| Keywords: | Memory / Skill learning / Parietal cortex / Lesion method
|
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