A neurocomputational theory of how rule-guided behaviors become automatic.

Kovacs, Paul; Hélie, Sébastien; Tran, Andrew N; Ashby, F. Gregory

doi:10.1037/rev0000271

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…During procedural learning (also described as ‘implicit’ or ‘reflexive’) the dorsal striatum (the posterior putamen and body and tail of caudate nucleus) support the process of making a learnt response automatic (Ashby et al., 1998; Ashby & Ennis, 2006; Cohen & Frank, 2009; Ell et al., 2011; Waldschmidt & Ashby, 2011). During rule‐based learning the dorsal striatum holds relevant, and filters out irrelevant information in the initial learning stages (Ashby & Ennis, 2006; Ell et al., 2006; Kovacs et al., 2021). In parallel, the hippocampus keeps track of accepted and rejected rules (Kovacs et al., 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cognitive outcome and its neural correlates after cardiorespiratory arrest in childhood

Geva,

Hoskote,

Saini

et al. 2024

Developmental Science

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Hypoxia‐ischaemia (HI) can result in structural brain abnormalities, which in turn can lead to behavioural deficits in various cognitive and motor domains, in both adult and paediatric populations. Cardiorespiratory arrest (CA) is a major cause of hypoxia‐ischaemia in adults, but it is relatively rare in infants and children. While the effects of adult CA on brain and cognition have been widely studied, to date, there are no studies examining the neurodevelopmental outcome of children who suffered CA early in life. Here, we studied the long‐term outcome of 28 children who suffered early CA (i.e., before age 16). They were compared to a group of control participants (n = 28) matched for age, sex and socio‐economic status. The patient group had impairments in the domains of memory, language and academic attainment (measured using standardised tests). Individual scores within the impaired range were most commonly found within the memory domain (79%), followed by academic attainment (50%), and language (36%). The patient group also had reduced whole brain grey matter volume, and reduced volume and fractional anisotropy of the white matter. In addition, lower performance on memory tests was correlated with bilaterally reduced volume of the hippocampi, thalami, and striatum, while lower attainment scores were correlated with bilateral reduction of fractional anisotropy in the superior cerebellar peduncle, the main output tract of the cerebellum. We conclude that patients who suffered early CA are at risk of developing specific cognitive deficits associated with structural brain abnormalities.Research Highlights Our data shed light on the long‐term outcome and associated neural mechanisms after paediatric hypoxia‐ischaemia as a result of cardiorespiratory arrest. Patients had impaired scores on memory, language and academic attainment. Memory impairments were associated with smaller hippocampi, thalami, and striatum. Lower academic attainment correlated with reduced fractional anisotropy of the superior cerebellar peduncle.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During rule‐based learning the dorsal striatum holds relevant, and filters out irrelevant information in the initial learning stages (Ashby & Ennis, 2006; Ell et al., 2006; Kovacs et al., 2021). In parallel, the hippocampus keeps track of accepted and rejected rules (Kovacs et al., 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive outcome and its neural correlates after cardiorespiratory arrest in childhood

Geva,

Hoskote,

Saini

et al. 2024

Developmental Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…During procedural learning (also described as 'implicit' or 'reflexive') the dorsal striatum (the posterior putamen and body and tail of caudate nucleus) support the process of making a learnt response automatic (Ashby et al, 1998;Ashby and Ennis, 2006;Cohen and Frank, 2009;Ell et al, 2011;Waldschmidt and Ashby, 2011). During rule-based learning the dorsal striatum holds relevant, and filters out irrelevant information in the initial learning stages (Ashby and Ennis, 2006;Ell et al, 2006;Kovacs et al, 2021). In parallel, the hippocampus keeps track of accepted and rejected rules (Kovacs et al, 2021).…”

Section: Memory Impairment and Its Neural Correlatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During rule-based learning the dorsal striatum holds relevant, and filters out irrelevant information in the initial learning stages (Ashby and Ennis, 2006;Ell et al, 2006;Kovacs et al, 2021). In parallel, the hippocampus keeps track of accepted and rejected rules (Kovacs et al, 2021).…”

Section: Memory Impairment and Its Neural Correlatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive outcome and its neural correlates after cardiorespiratory arrest in childhood

Geva

Hoskote

Saini

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Hypoxia-ischaemia (HI) can result in structural brain abnormalities, which in turn can lead to behavioural deficits in various cognitive and motor domains, in both adult and paediatric populations. Cardiorespiratory arrest (CA) is a major cause of hypoxia-ischaemia in adults, but it is relatively rare in infants and children. While the effects of adult CA on brain and cognition have been widely studied, to date, there are no studies examining the neurodevelopmental outcome of children who suffered CA early in life. Here, we studied the long-term outcome of 28 children who suffered CA during infancy or childhood (i.e., before age 16). They were compared to a group of control participants (n = 28) matched for age, gender and socio-economic status. The patient group had impairments in the domains of memory, language and academic attainment (measured using standardised tests; impairment defined as a score > 1.5 standard deviations below the control group mean). Individual scores within the impaired range were most commonly found within the memory domain (79%), followed by attainment (50%), and language (36%). The patient group also had reduced whole brain grey matter volume, and reduced volume and fractional anisotropy of the white matter. In addition, lower performance on memory tests was correlated with bilaterally reduced volume of the hippocampi, thalami, and striatum, while lower attainment scores were correlated with bilateral reduction of fractional anisotropy in the superior cerebellar peduncle, the main output tract of the cerebellum. We conclude that patients who suffered early CA are at risk of developing specific cognitive deficits associated with structural brain abnormalities.

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“…Ashby et al (2007) proposed that skills learned procedurally are mediated entirely within cortex after they become automatized, and that the development of automaticity is associated with a gradual transfer of control from the striatum to cortical-cortical projections from the relevant sensory areas directly to the premotor areas that initiate the behavior. Kovacs et al (2021) proposed a similar account of how ruleguided behaviors are automatized in which the prefrontal cortex trains the cortical circuits that implement the automatic behaviors. Therefore, according to these accounts, a critical function of the neural networks that mediate executive function and procedural learning are to train purely cortical representations of automatic behaviors.…”

Section: Automatic Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Just Do It: A Neuropsychological Theory of Agency, Cognition, Mood, and Dopamine

Ashby¹,

Zetzer²,

Conoley³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Agency is the sense that one has control over one’s own actions and the consequences of those actions. Despite the critical role that agency plays in the human condition, little is known about its neural basis. A novel theory proposes that increases in agency disinhibit the dopamine system and thereby increase the number of tonically active dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area. The theory, called ADDS (Agency Disinhibits the Dopamine System), proposes a specific neural network that mediates these effects. ADDS accurately predicts a variety of relevant neuroscience results, and makes many novel predictions, including that increases in agency will 1) increase motivation, 2) improve executive function, 3) facilitate procedural learning, but only in the presence of immediate trial-by-trial feedback, 4) have little or no effect on learning-related effects of stimulus repetition, 5) facilitate the development of automatic behaviors, but have little or no effect on the production of behaviors that are already automatized, 6) amplify the cognitive benefits of positive mood, and 7) reduce pain. The implications of this new theory are considered for several purely psychological theories that assign prominent roles to agency, including self-efficacy theory, hope theory, and goal-focused positive psychotherapy.

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A neurocomputational theory of how rule-guided behaviors become automatic.

Cited by 11 publications

References 95 publications

Cognitive outcome and its neural correlates after cardiorespiratory arrest in childhood

Cognitive outcome and its neural correlates after cardiorespiratory arrest in childhood

Cognitive outcome and its neural correlates after cardiorespiratory arrest in childhood

Just Do It: A Neuropsychological Theory of Agency, Cognition, Mood, and Dopamine

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