Exploring the relationship between perceptual learning and top-down attentional control

Byers, Anna; Serences, John T.

doi:10.1016/j.visres.2012.07.008

Cited by 48 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 138 publications

(299 reference statements)

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“…Our hypothesis is consistent with these models but posits that, rather than providing a static modulatory signal, top-down networks change throughout training, thereby contributing to improved ACx sensitivity and PL. This framework is similar to a computational model that has been proposed to explain visual brightness discrimination learning (84) and is consistent with human psychophysical and imaging evidence that training can improve visual attentional modulation (55,85,86) and general cognitive skills (23). Thus, training-induced plasticity in top-down modulatory processes may be a general mechanism that supports PL across sensory modalities.…”

Section: Significancesupporting

confidence: 82%

Top-down modulation of sensory cortex gates perceptual learning

Caras

Sanes

2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

100

108

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Practice sharpens our perceptual judgments, a process known as perceptual learning. Although several brain regions and neural mechanisms have been proposed to support perceptual learning, formal tests of causality are lacking. Furthermore, the temporal relationship between neural and behavioral plasticity remains uncertain. To address these issues, we recorded the activity of auditory cortical neurons as gerbils trained on a sound detection task. Training led to improvements in cortical and behavioral sensitivity that were closely matched in terms of magnitude and time course. Surprisingly, the degree of neural improvement was behaviorally gated. During task performance, cortical improvements were large and predicted behavioral outcomes. In contrast, during nontask listening sessions, cortical improvements were weak and uncorrelated with perceptual performance. Targeted reduction of auditory cortical activity during training diminished perceptual learning while leaving psychometric performance largely unaffected. Collectively, our findings suggest that training facilitates perceptual learning by strengthening both bottom-up sensory encoding and top-down modulation of auditory cortex.broad range of sensory skills improve with practice during perceptual learning (PL), including language acquisition (1-3), musical abilities (4), and recognition of emotions (5). The neural bases for such perceptual improvement may vary widely. For example, training-based changes in neural activity have been identified in a number of brain regions, including early (6-13) and late (14, 15) sensory cortices, multisensory regions (16, 17), and downstream decision-making areas (18). Similarly, several neural mechanisms have been proposed, such as enhanced signal representation (19), reduction of external (20, 21) or internal (22, 23) noise, and improvement in sensory readout or decision making (13,18,24,25).The apparent divergence of loci and mechanisms associated with PL could be due, in part, to limitations of experimental design. For example, some neural changes associated with PL are transient (26-29), making it necessary to monitor neural activity throughout the duration of perceptual training, rather than making comparisons only after PL is complete (6-12, 14-16, 30). For similar reasons, it is critical to block the function of a specific candidate brain region during training to determine whether it plays a causal role in PL. Although some reports show that manipulating brain activity can influence PL (28,(31)(32)(33)(34), there are no loss-of-function experiments to determine whether a particular region is required for behavioral improvement.To address these unresolved issues, we recorded from auditory cortex (ACx) as animals improved on an auditory detection task and, in separate experiments, blocked ACx activity during the period of perceptual training. We found that neural and behavioral sensitivity improved in a nearly identical manner over the course of training, in terms of both absolute magnitude and kinetics. Furthermore,...

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Section: Significancesupporting

confidence: 82%

Top-down modulation of sensory cortex gates perceptual learning

Caras

Sanes

2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

100

108

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“…It has therefore been proposed that perceptual leaming is achieved by the improved interpretation of sensory information guiding decisions, rather than improving the representation of sensory information. In support of this notion, over the past decade, visual perceptual leaming has been shown to influence neural activity and connectivity across multiple levels of visual cortex, as well as parietal and frontal areas (Byers & Serences, 2012;Law & Gold, 2008).…”

mentioning

confidence: 91%

Topographic generalization of tactile perceptual learning.

Harrar

Spence

Makin

2014

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Perfor

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Perceptual learning can improve our sensory abilities. Understanding its underlying mechanisms, in particular, when perceptual learning generalizes, has become a focus of research and controversy. Specifically, there is little consensus regarding the extent to which tactile perceptual learning generalizes across fingers. We measured tactile orientation discrimination abilities on 4 fingers (index and middle fingers of both hands), using psychophysical measures, before and after 4 training sessions on 1 finger. Given the somatotopic organization of the hand representation in the somatosensory cortex, the topography of the cortical areas underlying tactile perceptual learning can be inferred from the pattern of generalization across fingers; only fingers sharing cortical representation with the trained finger ought to improve with it. Following training, performance improved not only for the trained finger but also for its adjacent and homologous fingers. Although these fingers were not exposed to training, they nevertheless demonstrated similar levels of learning as the trained finger. Conversely, the performance of the finger that was neither adjacent nor homologous to the trained finger was unaffected by training, despite the fact that our procedure was designed to enhance generalization, as described in recent visual perceptual learning research. This pattern of improved performance is compatible with previous reports of neuronal receptive fields (RFs) in the primary somatosensory cortex (SI) spanning adjacent and homologous digits. We conclude that perceptual learning rooted in low-level cortex can still generalize, and suggest potential applications for the neurorehabilitation of syndromes associated with maladaptive plasticity in SI.

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“…Empirical evidence on visual brain plasticity remains controversial with some studies suggesting that learning modifies early sensory processing, while others proposing top-down influences to visual cortex plasticity via feedback 4,34,35 . Here, we address these competing hypotheses by employing 7T laminar fMRI that allows us to test whether training alters processing across cortical depths that are thought to be associated with dissociable brain computations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recurrent processing drives experience-dependent plasticity for perceptual decisions

Jia

Zamboni

Kemper

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Learning and experience are critical for making successful decisions in the face of inherently ambiguous and noisy information. Yet, the human brain computations that mediate this perceptual learning skill remain highly debated, as fMRI at standard resolution does not allow us to discern whether learning alters sensory encoding or top-down influences. Here, we capitalize on the sub-millimetre resolution of ultra-high field imaging to interrogate the finer-scale computations that mediate perceptual learning in the human brain. Combining 7T laminar imaging with orientation discrimination training, we demonstrate learning-dependent changes in superficial V1 layers, suggesting that training alters read-out rather than input signals in the visual cortex. Further, training enhances feedforward connectivity between superficial V1 layers and middle layers of posterior parietal cortex. Our findings propose that the brain learns to translate sensory information to perceptual decisions via recurrent processing within visual cortex and enhanced connectivity from sensory to decision-related areas.

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Exploring the relationship between perceptual learning and top-down attentional control

Cited by 48 publications

References 138 publications

Top-down modulation of sensory cortex gates perceptual learning

Top-down modulation of sensory cortex gates perceptual learning

Topographic generalization of tactile perceptual learning.

Recurrent processing drives experience-dependent plasticity for perceptual decisions

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