Learning leaves a memory trace in motor cortex

• Published in: Current biology Vol. 34; no. 7; pp. 1519 - 1531.e4
• Main Authors: Losey, Darby M., Hennig, Jay A., Oby, Emily R., Golub, Matthew D., Sadtler, Patrick T., Quick, Kristin M., Ryu, Stephen I., Tyler-Kabara, Elizabeth C., Batista, Aaron P., Yu, Byron M., Chase, Steven M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Inc 08.04.2024
• Subjects: Brain; Brain Mapping; Brain-Computer Interfaces; dimensionality reduction; Electroencephalography; Learning; memory; motor control; Motor Cortex; neural populations; dimensionality reduction; learning; memory; brain-computer interfaces; motor control; neural populations
• ISSN: 0960-9822; 1879-0445
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.003

How are we able to learn new behaviors without disrupting previously learned ones? To understand how the brain achieves this, we used a brain-computer interface (BCI) learning paradigm, which enables us to detect the presence of a memory of one behavior while performing another. We found that learning to use a new BCI map altered the neural activity that monkeys produced when they returned to using a familiar BCI map in a way that was specific to the learning experience. That is, learning left a “memory trace” in the primary motor cortex. This memory trace coexisted with proficient performance under the familiar map, primarily by altering neural activity in dimensions that did not impact behavior. Forming memory traces might be how the brain is able to provide for the joint learning of multiple behaviors without interference. [Display omitted] •Learning can change the neural activity that is used to perform familiar tasks•After learning, neural activity alters to be more appropriate for the learned task•These changes can occur without interfering with performance of the familiar task•This “memory trace” of new learning can be seen using a brain-computer interface How new tasks can be learned without interfering with old knowledge is unclear. Using a brain-computer interface, Losey et al. find that learning something new alters the neural activity used to perform a familiar task, such that neural activity remains appropriate for the new task but does not impede performance on the familiar task.