Neurobiology of skill and habit learning.

Recent evidence indicates that the basal ganglia are critical brain structures for motor-skill and habit learning, and may be important for the acquisition of some perceptual and cognitive skills. The cerebellum appears to contribute importantly only to motor-skill learning. Transitory cortical changes occur during motor-skill learning, but perceptual-skill learning may involve a semi-permanent change in neuronal sensitivity in the primary sensory cortex.