Practice-related functional connectivity changes in a verb generation task

The neural basis of associative learning of verb generation task was studied using function Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Activation in specialized cortical areas (anterior cingulated, left inferior frontal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus and right cerebellum) decreased with learning. However, with cross correlation of low frequency fluctuations in rest brain it was shown that, in parallel to this adaptation, increase in connectivity between distinct cortical systems specialized for verb generation. The time course of these plastic changes was highly correlated with individual learning performance, suggesting that interactions between brain areas underlie association learning.