Competition between frontal lobe functions and implicit sequence learning: evidence from the long-term effects of alcohol

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Web End = Exp Brain Res (2015) 233:20812089 DOI 10.1007/s00221-015-4279-8

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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Web End = Competition between frontal lobe functions and implicit sequence learning: evidence from the longterm effects of alcohol

Marta Virag1,2 Karolina Janacsek1,3 Aniko Horvath4 Zoltan Bujdoso4 Daniel Fabo2 Dezso Nemeth1,3

Abstract Implicit sequence learning is a fundamental mechanism that underlies the acquisition of motor, cognitive and social skills. The relationship between implicit learning and executive functions is still debated due to the overlapping fronto-striatal networks. According to the framework of competitive neurocognitive networks, disrupting specic frontal lobe functions, such as executive functions, increases performance on implicit learning tasks. The aim of our study was to explore the nature of such a relationship by investigating the effect of long-term regular alcohol intake on implicit sequence learning. Since alcohol dependency impairs executive functions, we expected intact or even better implicit learning in patient group compared to the healthy controls based on the competitive relationship between these neurocognitive networks. To our knowledge, this is the rst study to examine the long-term effects of alcohol dependency both on implicit learning and on executive functions requiring different but partly overlapping neurocognitive networks. Here, we show weaker

Marta Virag and Karolina Janacsek have contributed equally to this work.

* Dezso Nemeth [email protected]

1 Department of Clinical Psychology and Addiction, Institute of Psychology, Eotvos Lorand University, Izabella utca 46, Budapest 1064, Hungary

2 National Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Epilepy Centrum, Budapest, Hungary

3 MTA-ELTE NAP B Brain, Memory and Language Research Group, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, MTA, Budapest, Hungary

4 Gal Bela Hospital for Rehabilitation, Pomaz, Hungary

Received: 29 September 2014 / Accepted: 4 April 2015 / Published online: 25 April 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

executive functions but intact implicit learning in the alcohol-dependent group compared to the controls. Moreover, we found negative correlation between these functions in both groups. Our results conrm the competitive relationship between the fronto-striatal networks underlying implicit sequence learning and executive functions and suggest that the functional integrity of this relationship is unaltered in the alcohol-dependent...