News Finding: The harder-to-learn patterns were different from any of the pre-existing patterns, whereas the easier-to-learn patterns were combinations of pre-existing brain patterns.
Paper Finding: These data are consistent with the hypothesis that relatively little learning occurred during the outside-manifold perturbations in comparison to the within-manifold perturbations.
News Context: The results showed that the subjects learned to generate some neural activity patterns more easily than others, since they only sometimes achieved accurate cursor movements. The harder-to-learn patterns were different from any of the pre-existing patterns, whereas the easier-to-learn patterns were combinations of pre-existing brain patterns. Because the existing brain patterns likely reflect how the neurons are interconnected, the results suggest that the connectivity among neurons shapes learning.
Paper Context: 0.05). These data are consistent with the hypothesis that relatively little learning occurred during the outside-manifold perturbations in comparison to the within-manifold perturbations. Number of within-manifold perturbations, n 5 27 (monkey J), 14 (monkey L); outsidemanifold perturbations, n 5 33 (monkey J), 15 (monkey L).