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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
09:01
The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents
Published on: July 8, 2015
The dynamic network subserving the three phases of cognitive procedural learning.
Valérie Hubert1, Hélène Beaunieux, Gaël Chételat
1Inserm-EPHE-Université de Caen Basse Normandie, Unité E0218, GIP Cyceron, CHU de Caen, Caen, France.
Human Brain Mapping
|April 24, 2007
Summary
This study reveals distinct brain activity patterns during cognitive procedural learning phases. Positron emission tomography (PET) identified specific neural networks involved in cognitive, associative, and autonomous learning stages.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Cognitive procedural learning progresses through distinct cognitive, associative, and autonomous phases.
- Understanding the neural substrates of each phase is crucial for refining learning models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify cognitive predictors for the duration of each learning phase.
- To map the cerebral substrates associated with the cognitive, associative, and autonomous phases of learning.
Main Methods:
- A behavioral study was conducted to determine cognitive predictors for learning phase length.
- A positron emission tomography (PET) activation study utilized the Tower of Toronto task to examine brain activity.
Main Results:
- The cognitive phase showed activation in the prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, and parietal regions, decreasing with learning.
- The associative phase involved the occipital regions, right thalamus, and caudate nucleus.
- The autonomous phase engaged the left thalamus and anterior cerebellum, correlating with psychomotor abilities.
Conclusions:
- Distinct brain regions and networks are sequentially involved across the learning phases.
- Findings support current models of cognitive procedural learning and highlight the role of frontoparietal networks, occipital regions, and the cerebellum.
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