The effect of verbal feedback on motor learning--a PET study. Positron emission tomography.

The purpose of this study was to investigate brain mechanisms underlying feedback effects on motor learning. We measured human brain activity using positron emission tomography (PET) during length-of-line drawing tasks in the presence or absence of verbal feedback, i.e., information on the precision of motor performance. The average error in responses was significantly lower and the percentage of correct responses was significantly higher in the case of tasks with feedback than those in the absence of feedback. The contralateral sensorimotor, premotor, supplementary motor, the right prefrontal, bilateral parietal and temporal, and anterior cingulate cortices, and the left basal ganglia were activated during all the line-drawing tasks. The right lateral prefrontal and occipital cortices and the left basal ganglia exhibited marked increase in activity after learning. The right inferior parietal and the anterior cingulate cortices were activated in the presence of feedback which provided information on how the subjects should correct their performances. The results indicate that these brain areas may play an important role in representing knowledge of results during motor learning and that appropriate feedback may facilitate motor learning. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.