English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

We learn complex skills such as speech and dance through a gradual process of trialand error. Cortical-basal ganglia circuits have an important yet unresolved functionin this trial-and-error skill learning; influential'actor-critic' models propose that basal gangliacircuits generate a variety of behaviours during training and learn to implement thesuccessful behaviours in their repertoire. Here we show that theanterior forebrain pathway (AFP), a cortical-basal ganglia circuit,contributes to skill learning even when it does not contribute to such'exploratory' variation in behavioural performance duringtraining. Blocking the output of the AFP while training Bengalese finches to modifytheir songs prevented the gradual improvement that normally occurs in this complexskill during training. However, unblocking the output of the AFP after trainingcaused an immediate transition from naive performance to excellent performance,indicating that the AFP covertly gained the ability to implement learned skillperformance without contributing to skill practice. In contrast, inactivating theoutput nucleus of the AFP during training completely prevented learning, indicatingthat learning requires activity within the AFP during training. Our results suggesta revised model of skill learning: basal ganglia circuits can monitor theconsequences of behavioural variation produced by other brain regions and thendirect those brain regions to implement more successful behaviours. The ability ofthe AFP to identify successful performances generated by other brain regionsindicates that basal ganglia circuits receive a detailed efference copy of premotoractivity in those regions. The capacity of the AFP to implement successfulperformances that were initially produced by other brain regions indicates precisefunctional connections between basal ganglia circuits and the motor regions thatdirectly control performance.

Covert skill learning in a cortical-basal ganglia circuit