Modulation of brain magnetic activity by different verbal learning strategies

In this study we examined spatiotemporal profiles of brain activity in the context of tasks designed to engage different verbal learning strategies (serial order, phonological, and semantic). The profile of activation associated with the serial-order strategy, which resulted in poor recall performance, featured early activation of the inferior frontal, sensorimotor, and insular region in the left hemisphere, between 200 and 400 ms after stimulus onset. Subsequently, activation was more prominent in dorsolateral prefrontal cortices bilaterally. In contrast, activation profiles associated with the phonological strategy featured predominantly activation of the superior temporal gyrus in the left hemisphere between 500 and 600 ms. Predominant activation of the left middle temporal gyrus, between 500 and 700 ms, was the key feature of the activation profile observed when the semantic elaboration strategy was utilized. These results suggest that different brain circuits are engaged to support learning of new verbal information as a function of the level and type of initial processing applied to the stimuli.