Impact of Metacognitive and Psychological Factors in Learning-Induced Plasticity of Resting State Networks

Abstract

While resting-state networks are able to rapidly adapt to experiences and stimuli, it is currently unknown whether metacognitive processes such as confidence in learning and psychological temperament may influence this process. We explore the neural traces of confidence in learning and their variability by: (1) targeting rs-networks in which functional connectivity (FC) modifications induced by a learning task were associated either with the participant’s performance or confidence in learning; and (2) investigating the links between FC changes and psychological temperament. Thirty healthy individuals underwent neuropsychological and psychometric evaluations as well as rs-fMRI scans before and after a visuomotor associative learning task. Confidence in learning was positively associated with the degree of FC changes in 11 connections including the cerebellar, frontal, parietal, and subcortical areas. Variability in FC changes was linked to the individual’s level of anxiety sensitivity. The present findings indicate that reconfigurations of resting state networks linked to confidence in learning differ from those linked to learning accuracy. In addition, certain temperament characteristics appear to influence these reconfigurations.

Interindividual Brain and Behavior Differences in Adaptation to Unexpected Uncertainty

“…Expanding on previous studies that showed that the basal cerebral state, as indexed by intrinsic FC, is modified in the short term after the brain has been engaged in consolidating learned action-outcome contingencies [23,24,27,[29][30][31]44], the present study showed that it also occurs after being engaged in the remapping of previously learned action-outcome contingencies. Moreover, as we speculated previously [23], modifications in intrinsic regional connectivity differed depending on the behavioral tendencies adopted by the participants when facing unexpected changes in the environment.…”

“…The ACC is implicated in the evaluation of feedback and would promote either exploration in the case of negative feedback or exploitation if the feedback is positive [6]. Additionally, it is well-established that the cerebellum is engaged in motor learning processes, and there is increasing evidence that this is the case for cognitive tasks as well [22], notably in the building of internal models of stimuli-response associations [23]. The cerebellum, via cortico-cerebellar circuits, may also participate in the exploration/exploitation trade-off.…”

“…These changes in resting functional connectivity (rFC) may inform on one's short-term plasticity at the brain level, in other words, their basal neural flexibility [24]. For instance, learning has been linked to changes in rFC from before to after performing reinforcement learning problems in specific networks, a modulation that has been interpreted as a trace of memory consolidation [22][23][24][27][28][29][30][31]. In regard to our previous studies, we were also able to show that changes in rFC from before to after learning the correct associations between geometrical forms and a button response were linked to biological factors, such as age [28], but also to psychological factors, such as anxiety proneness or metacognitive skills [23].…”

“…For instance, learning has been linked to changes in rFC from before to after performing reinforcement learning problems in specific networks, a modulation that has been interpreted as a trace of memory consolidation [22][23][24][27][28][29][30][31]. In regard to our previous studies, we were also able to show that changes in rFC from before to after learning the correct associations between geometrical forms and a button response were linked to biological factors, such as age [28], but also to psychological factors, such as anxiety proneness or metacognitive skills [23]. It thus appears that such a methodology could be of great interest for capturing the modulation of functional connectivity linked to the adaptation to environmental uncertainty and its potential variability among individuals [28].…”