Place-Learning Task
Objective: Investigate human brain activity related to strategies for navigating in space and how it changes with practice using functional magnetic resonance imaging during a place-learning task in a virtual environment
This is a Place-Learning Task protocol using human as the model organism. The procedure involves 3 procedural steps, 2 equipment items. Extracted from a 2003 paper published in Journal of Neuroscience.
Model and subjects
human
Study window
Estimated timing pending
Core workflow
Task presentation and strategy selection • Brain activity monitoring during navigation • Practice and neural mechanism changes
Primary readouts
- Right hippocampus activation in spatial landmark navigation strategy group
- Caudate nucleus activation in nonspatial strategy group
- Posterior parietal cortex activation
- Frontal cortex activation
Key equipment and reagents
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Protocol Steps
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Task presentation and strategy selection
Subjects performed a place-learning task in a computer-generated virtual environment. Subjects spontaneously adopted one of two different strategies to solve the task.
Note: One-half of subjects used spatial landmarks to navigate in the early phase of training; the other half used a nonspatial strategy
View evidence from paper
“Subjects used two different strategies to solve a place-learning task in a computer-generated virtual environment. One-half of the subjects used spatial landmarks to navigate in the early phase of training, and these subjects showed increased activation of the right hippocampus. The other half used a nonspatial strategy and showed, with practice, sustained increased activity within the caudate nucleus during navigation.”
Brain activity monitoring during navigation
fMRI was used to measure brain activity while subjects navigated and performed the place-learning task
Note: Activation was measured in hippocampus, caudate nucleus, posterior parietal cortex, and frontal cortex
View evidence from paper
“Activation common to both groups was observed in the posterior parietal and frontal cortex.”
Practice and neural mechanism changes
Subjects continued performing the task with practice, and changes in neural activation patterns were monitored
Note: Nonspatial strategy group showed sustained increased activity within the caudate nucleus with practice
View evidence from paper
“The other half used a nonspatial strategy and showed, with practice, sustained increased activity within the caudate nucleus during navigation.”