Taking the brakes off the learning curve.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Motor Control
• Cerebellar Function

Background:

• Motor learning involves complex cerebello-striato-cortical network dynamics.
• The precise role of the cerebellum in the early stages of motor skill acquisition is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the causal role of the right and left cerebellum in the temporal dynamics of motor learning.
• To examine how cerebellar stimulation affects brain activation patterns during motor sequence learning.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to monitor brain activity during motor sequence learning.
• Five groups of participants received either continuous or intermittent theta-burst stimulation (TBS) to the left or right cerebellum, or sham stimulation.
• Learning was divided into three phases: rapid, slow, and quasi-asymptotic.

Main Results:

• Left cerebellar TBS did not alter the learning phases.
• Right cerebellar inhibition accelerated early learning and increased activation in motor-related areas.
• Right cerebellar excitation slowed late-phase learning and increased brain activation.

Conclusions:

• The right cerebellum plays a key coordinating role in the initial acquisition of explicit motor sequential skills.
• Cerebellar stimulation can modulate the neural dynamics underlying motor learning.
• Distinct roles for cerebellar hemispheres in motor learning are suggested.