Evidence of developmental differences in implicit sequence learning

TY - JOUR

T1 - Evidence of developmental differences in implicit sequence learning

T2 - an fMRI study of children and adults

AU - Thomas, Kathleen M

AU - Hunt, Ruskin H

AU - Vizueta, Nathalie

AU - Sommer-Blöchl, Tobias

AU - Durston, Sarah

AU - Yang, Yihong

AU - Worden, Michael S

PY - 2004/10

Y1 - 2004/10

N2 - Prevailing theories of implicit or unaware learning propose a developmental invariance model, with implicit function maturing early in infancy or childhood despite prolonged improvements in explicit or intentional learning and memory systems across childhood. Neuroimaging studies of adult visuomotor sequence learning have associated fronto-striatal brain regions with implicit learning of spatial sequences. Given evidence of continued development in these brain regions during childhood, we compare implicit sequence learning in adults and 7- to 11-year-old children to examine potential developmental differences in the recruitment of fronto-striatal circuitry during implicit learning. Participants performed a standard serial reaction time task. Stimuli alternately followed a fixed 10-step sequence of locations or were presented in a pseudorandom order of locations. Adults outperformed children, achieving a significantly larger sequence learning effect and showing learning more quickly than children. Age-related differences in activity were observed in the premotor cortex, putamen, hippocampus, inferotemporal cortex, and parietal cortex. We observed differential recruitment of cortical and subcortical motor systems between groups, presumably reflecting age differences in motor response execution. Adults showed greater hippocampal activity for sequence trials, whereas children demonstrated greater signal during random trials. Activity in the right caudate correlated significantly with behavioral measures of implicit learning for both age groups, although adults showed greater signal change than children overall, as would be expected given developmental differences in sequence learning magnitude. These results challenge the idea of developmental invariance in implicit learning and instead support a view of parallel developments in implicit and explicit learning systems.

AB - Prevailing theories of implicit or unaware learning propose a developmental invariance model, with implicit function maturing early in infancy or childhood despite prolonged improvements in explicit or intentional learning and memory systems across childhood. Neuroimaging studies of adult visuomotor sequence learning have associated fronto-striatal brain regions with implicit learning of spatial sequences. Given evidence of continued development in these brain regions during childhood, we compare implicit sequence learning in adults and 7- to 11-year-old children to examine potential developmental differences in the recruitment of fronto-striatal circuitry during implicit learning. Participants performed a standard serial reaction time task. Stimuli alternately followed a fixed 10-step sequence of locations or were presented in a pseudorandom order of locations. Adults outperformed children, achieving a significantly larger sequence learning effect and showing learning more quickly than children. Age-related differences in activity were observed in the premotor cortex, putamen, hippocampus, inferotemporal cortex, and parietal cortex. We observed differential recruitment of cortical and subcortical motor systems between groups, presumably reflecting age differences in motor response execution. Adults showed greater hippocampal activity for sequence trials, whereas children demonstrated greater signal during random trials. Activity in the right caudate correlated significantly with behavioral measures of implicit learning for both age groups, although adults showed greater signal change than children overall, as would be expected given developmental differences in sequence learning magnitude. These results challenge the idea of developmental invariance in implicit learning and instead support a view of parallel developments in implicit and explicit learning systems.

KW - Adult

KW - Analysis of Variance

KW - Brain

KW - Brain Mapping

KW - Cerebral Cortex

KW - Child

KW - Child Development

KW - Female

KW - Hippocampus

KW - Humans

KW - Magnetic Resonance Imaging

KW - Male

KW - Pattern Recognition, Visual

KW - Psychomotor Performance

KW - Putamen

KW - Reaction Time

KW - Reference Values

KW - Serial Learning

U2 - 10.1162/0898929042304688

DO - 10.1162/0898929042304688

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 15509382

VL - 16

SP - 1339

EP - 1351

JO - J COGNITIVE NEUROSCI

JF - J COGNITIVE NEUROSCI

SN - 0898-929X

IS - 8

ER -