Common Mechanisms of Learning in Motor and Cognitive Systems

Rapid progress in our understanding of the brain's learning mechanisms has been accomplished over the past decade, particularly with conceptual advances, including representing behavior as a dynamical system, large-scale neural population recordings, and new methods of analysis of neuronal populations. However, motor and cognitive systems have been traditionally studied with different methods and paradigms. Recently, some common principles, evident in both behavior and neural activity, that underlie these different types of learning have become to emerge. Here we review results from motor and cognitive learning, relying on different techniques and studying different systems to understand the mechanisms of learning. Movement is intertwined with cognitive operations, and its dynamics reflect cognitive variables. Training, in either motor or cognitive tasks, involves recruitment of previously unresponsive neurons and reorganization of neural activity in a low dimensional manifold. Mapping of new variables in neural activity can be very rapid, instantiating flexible learning of new tasks. Communication between areas is just as critical a part of learning as are patterns of activity within an area emerging with learning. Common principles across systems provide a map for future research.