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GABA, not BOLD, reveals dissociable learning-dependent plasticity mechanisms in the human brain.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Abstract

Experience and training have been shown to facilitate our ability to extract and discriminate meaningful patterns from cluttered environments. Yet, the human brain mechanisms that mediate our ability to learn by suppressing noisy and irrelevant signals remain largely unknown. To test the role of suppression in perceptual learning, we combine fMRI with MR Spectroscopy measurements of GABA, as fMRI alone does not allow us to discern inhibitory vs. excitatory mechanisms. Our results demonstrate that task-dependent GABAergic inhibition relates to functional brain plasticity and behavioral improvement. Specifically, GABAergic inhibition in the occipito-temporal cortex relates to dissociable learning mechanisms: decreased GABA for noise filtering, while increased GABA for feature template retuning. Perturbing cortical excitability during training with tDCs alters performance in a task-specific manner, providing evidence for a direct link between suppression and behavioral improvement. Our findings propose dissociable GABAergic mechanisms that optimize our ability to make perceptual decisions through training.

Description

Keywords

brain plasticity, functional MRI, human, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, neuroscience, visual learning, Adult, Female, GABAergic Neurons, Humans, Learning, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Male, Neural Inhibition, Neuronal Plasticity, Occipital Lobe, Perception, Temporal Lobe, Young Adult, gamma-Aminobutyric Acid

Journal Title

Elife

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2050-084X
2050-084X

Volume Title

7

Publisher

eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Sponsorship
European Commission (290011)
Alan Turing Institute (EP/N510129/1)
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/P021255/1)
Wellcome Trust (205067/Z/16/Z)
Leverhulme Trust (RF-2011-378)
Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00005/14)
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