Novel behavioral indicator of explicit awareness reveals temporal course of frontoparietal neural network facilitation during motor learning

Abstract

Deficits in sequential motor learning have been observed in many patient populations. Having an understanding of the individual neural progression associated with sequential learning in healthy individuals may provide valuable insights for effective interventions with these patients. Due to individual variability in motor skill acquisition, the temporal course of such learning will be vary, suggesting a need for a more individualized approach. Knowing when a subject becomes aware of movement patterns may provide a marker with which to identify each individual’s learning time course. To avoid interfering with the incidental nature of discovery during learning, such an indicator requires an indirect, behaviorally-based approach. In Part I, our study aimed to identify a reliable behavioral indicator predictive of the presence of incidental explicit awareness in a sequential motor learning task. Part II, utilized the predictive indicator and EEG to provide neural validation of perceptual processing changes temporally correlated with the indicator. Results of Part I provide a reliable predictive indicator for the timing of explicit awareness development. Results from Part II demonstrates strong classification reliability, as well as a significant neural correlation with behavior for subjects developing awareness (EXP), not observed with subjects without awareness (NOEXP). Additionally, a temporal correlation of peak activation between neural regions was noted over frontoparietal regions, suggesting that the incidental discovery of motor patterns may involve a facilitative network during awareness development. The proposed indicator provides a tool in which to further examine potential impacts of awareness associated with incidental, or exploratory, motor learning, while the individual nature of the indicator provides a tool for monitoring progress in rehabilitative, exploratory motor learning paradigms.

What triggers explicit awareness in implicit sequence learning? Implications from theories of consciousness

“…The RT-drop seemingly reflects the moment where participants switched from stimulus- to plan-driven control (Tubau et al, 2007 ). Moreover, neuroimaging data showed that a sudden coupling of gamma-band activity and increases of the BOLD-signal in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, the medial and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and the ventral striatum preceded such an RT-drop, respectively strategy change (Lawson et al, 2017 ; Rose et al, 2010 ; Schuck et al, 2015 ; Wessel et al, 2012 ). These changes might reflect the sudden “ignition” of cortical activity which, as postulated by the Global Workspace Theory, accompanies the transition from an unconscious to a conscious state (Dehaene & Changeux, 2011 ; Dehaene & Naccache, 2001 ).…”

The interplay between unexpected events and behavior in the development of explicit knowledge in implicit sequence learning

“…Similar results came from Schuck et al ( 2015 ), who investigated strategy shifts in a rather simple task and found also that the participants abruptly sped up responding when they became aware of a more efficient strategy than that they had used before. Right before this changing point, Rose et al ( 2010 ) as well as Schuck et al ( 2015 ) found increased activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (for similar results see Lawson et al, 2017 ). These activation patterns are associated with the transition from unconscious to conscious representations (Del Cul et al, 2009 ).…”