IMPAIRED PROCEDURAL LEARNING AFTER DAMAGE TO THE LEFT SUPPLEMENTARY MOTOR AREA (SMA)

Two paradigms of procedural learning, serial reaction time and trackin g tasks, were given to a patient with damage to the supplementary moto r area (SMA) of the left mesiofrontal cortex. This patient exhibited i mpaired procedural learning during the serial reaction time test and m irror reversed tracking. Unreversed tracking performance was normal. T herefore the SMA-as well as the cerebellum and the striatum-participat e in the development of skills requiring internal elaboration of motor behaviour.