Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Slice Patch Clamp Technique for Analyzing Learning-Induced Plasticity
Published on: November 11, 2017
Stimulus-outcome learnability differentially activates anterior cingulate and hippocampus at feedback processing
1Department of Radiology, University of California, La Jolla, California 92037, USA. p4rodrig@ucsd.edu
Abstract:
Memory systems are known to be influenced by feedback and error processing, but it is not well known what aspects of outcome contingencies are related to different memory systems. Here we use the Rescorla-Wagner model to estimate prediction errors in an fMRI study of stimulus-outcome association learning. The conditional probabilities of outcomes for a given stimulus are manipulated so that associations are either learnable or unlearnable (pseudorandom). The delay between stimulus and outcome is jittered so that we can separately compare activity for either stimulus processing or feedback processing. We find that hippocampus and anterior cingulate are differentially active primarily at feedback processing: Learnable associations are correlated with significantly more hippocampal activity and significantly less anterior cingulate activity than unlearnable associations. We also find that positive prediction errors modulate feedback processing in the midbrain for both types of associations. We suggest that learnable associations use more declarative memory, unlearnable associations involve more uncertainty monitoring, and, in both kinds of associations, positive prediction errors provide a reinforcement signal.
More Related Videos
08:43Combined Shuttle-Box Training with Electrophysiological Cortex Recording and Stimulation as a Tool to Study Perception and Learning
Published on: October 22, 2015
09:00Investigating the Function of Deep Cortical and Subcortical Structures Using Stereotactic Electroencephalography: Lessons from the Anterior Cingulate Cortex
Published on: April 15, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Cognitive Learning
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Role of Hippocampus in Memory
Associative Learning
Classical conditioning, also known...
Feedback Inhibition
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex