Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Changes in the human brain during rhythm learning.

N Ramnani1, R E Passingham

  • 1University College London, UK. narender.ramnani@physiol.ox.ac.uk

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
|October 12, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Contributions of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex to Social Influence in Economic Decision-Making.

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)·2017
Same author

Acting, seeing, and conscious awareness.

Neuropsychologia·2017
Same author

Human Cerebellar Sub-millimeter Diffusion Imaging Reveals the Motor and Non-motor Topography of the Dentate Nucleus.

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)·2016
Same author

Using action understanding to understand the left inferior parietal cortex in the human brain.

Brain research·2014
Same author

Has brain imaging discovered anything new about how the brain works?

NeuroImage·2012
Same author

Reinforcement learning signals in the anterior cingulate cortex code for others' false beliefs.

NeuroImage·2012
Same journal

Sensorimotor Adaptation of Vocal Pitch Is Impaired in Cerebellar Ataxia.

Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Memory in the Palm of Your Hand: Smartphone-based Methods for Measuring Memory in the Wild.

Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Processing Asymmetry in Object-modifying Relative Clauses: Evidence from Functional Connectivity.

Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Extensive Experience Remodels Neural Task Circuitry to Escape the Frontal Bottleneck and Increase Automaticity of Categorization.

Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Investigating the Effects of Acute Stress on Neural Mechanisms of Self-controlled Decision-making.

Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Distilling the Neurophenomenological Signatures of Pure Awareness during Transcendental Meditation.

Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2026
See all related articles

This study shows that learning complex rhythms involves brain areas like the cerebellum and motor cortex. As participants improved timing, brain activity shifted, suggesting a move from external to internal timing cues.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • Rhythm learning is crucial for motor coordination.
  • Understanding the neural basis of timing and response coordination is essential.
  • Previous research has implicated various brain regions in motor learning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the learning of complex arbitrary rhythms.
  • To examine how brain activity changes with improved timing accuracy.
  • To differentiate the roles of internal versus external cues in motor timing.

Main Methods:

  • Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans were used to monitor brain activity.
  • Participants learned an arbitrary rhythm paced by visual cues.

Related Experiment Videos

  • A control condition involved random intervals for comparison.

    • Main Results:

    • Behavioral improvements included decreased response time and increased accuracy.
    • Learning correlated with increased activity in the posterior lateral cerebellum, parietal cortex, and premotor areas.
    • Decreased activity was observed in the prestriate and inferior temporal cortex, indicating a shift towards internal timing.

    Conclusions:

    • The neocortical-cerebellar loop plays a key role in timing and coordination during rhythm learning.
    • Practice leads to a neural shift from reliance on external cues to internal timing mechanisms.
    • The basal ganglia were not found to increase in activity related to learning in this context.