NEURAL CORRELATES OF MOTOR MEMORY CONSOLIDATION

Computational studies suggest that acquisition of a motor skill involv es learning an internal model of the dynamics of the task, which enabl es the brain to predict and compensate for mechanical behavior. During the hours that follow completion of practice, representation of the i nternal model gradually changes, becoming less fragile with respect to behavioral interference. Here, functional imaging of the brain demons trates that within 6 hours after completion of practice, while perform ance remains unchanged, the brain engages new regions to perform the t ask; there is a shift from prefrontal regions of the cortex to the pre motor, posterior parietal, and cerebellar cortex structures. This shif t is specific to recall of an established motor skill and suggests tha t with the passage of time, there is a change in the neural representa tion of the internal model and that this change may underlie its incre ased functional stability.