Learning‐driven cerebellar intrinsic functional connectivity changes in men
J Neurosci Res. 2019-11-24; :
DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24555
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Edde M(1), Di Scala G(2), Dupuy M(2), Dilharreguy B(2), Catheline G(1)(2),Chanraud S(1)(2).
Author information:
(1)Laboratoire Neurobiologie et Vie Quotidienne, EPHE, PSL Research University,Bordeaux, France.
(2)UMR 5287, Institut de Neurosciences Intégratives et Cognitives d’Aquitaine,Neuroimagerie et Cognition Humaine, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux,France.
Learning involves distributed but coordinated activity among the widespread
connected brain areas. Increase in areas connections’ strength may be established
offline, that is, aside from the task itself, in a resting-state. The resulting
functional connectivity may hence constitute a neural trace of the learning
episode. The present study examined whether a conditional visuomotor learning
task previously shown to activate the cerebellum would modify cerebellar
intrinsic connectivity in groups of young and older male subjects. In the group
of young subjects, resting-state connectivity within several cerebellar networks
(fronto-cerebellar, temporo-cerebellar, cerebello-cerebellar) was modified
following the task. In most cases, modulation resulted in increased
anticorrelations between cerebellar and cortical areas and the amplitude of
changes was correlated with learning efficacy. The group of older subjects
drastically differed, with sparser modifications of resting-state functional
connectivity and no cerebellar networks involved. The findings of this
exploratory study indicate that associative learning modifies the strength of
intrinsic connectivity in young subjects but to a lesser degree in older
subjects. They further suggest that functional connectivity within cerebellar
networks may play an operative role in this kind of learning.
© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24555
PMID: 31762075