The neural basis of visual skill learning: an fMRI study of mirror reading
Abstract
The learning of perceptual skills is thought to rely upon multiple regions in the cerebral cortex, but imaging studies have not yet provided evidence about the changes in neural activity that accompany visual skill learning. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine changes in activation of posterior brain regions associated with the acquisition of mirror-reading skill for novel and practiced stimuli. Multiple regions in the occipital lobe, inferior temporal cortex, superior parietal cortex and cerebellum were involved in the reading of mirror-reversed compared to normally oriented text. For novel stimuli, skilled mirror-reading was associated with decreased activation in the right superior parietal cortex and posterior occipital regions and increased activation in the left inferior temporal lobe. These results suggest that learning to read mirror-reversed text involves a progression from visuospatial transformation to direct recognition of transformed letters. Reading practiced, relative to unpracticed, stimuli was associated with decreased activation in occipital visual cortices, inferior temporal cortex and superior parietal cortex and increased activation in occipito-parietal and lateral temporal regions. By examining skill learning and item-specific repetition priming in the same task, this study demonstrates that both of these forms of learning exhibit shifts in the set of neural structures that contribute to performance.
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Depending on the task, neuroimaging studies have reported a general decrease in cortical activity, increases in cortical activity, or a more complex redistribution where activity increases in some areas and decreases in others during practice.
“Depending on the task, some studies have reported a general decrease in cortical activity [52–55], a few have reported increases [56–59], and some have reported a more complex redistribution where activity increases in some areas and decreases in others [60–62].”
From Cortical and basal ganglia contributions to habit learning and automaticity (2010) · cites this paper as [60]
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- Authors
- Poldrack, R.
- Affiliations
- Stanford University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Poldrack, R.
- ORCID
- Poldrack, R.
- Venue
- Cerebral Cortex
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 1998-01-01
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1-10
- ISSN
- 1047-3211 (ISSN-L)
- 1460-2199
- OpenAlex
- W1974049649
- Cited by
- 224
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 19.31
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cerebral Cortex (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
- Keywords
- mirror reading, perceptual learning, inferior temporal cortex, superior parietal cortex, cerebellum, repetition priming, practice effects, letter recognition
- MeSH terms
- Brain, Humans, Language, Learning, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Psychomotor Performance, Reading
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