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Pharmacological Modulation of Perceptual Learning and Associated Cortical Reorganization
Hubert R. Dinse,1*
Patrick Ragert,1
Burkhard Pleger,2
Peter Schwenkreis,2
Martin Tegenthoff2
Abstract:
The pharmacological basis of perceptual learning and associatedcortical reorganizations remains elusive. We induced perceptuallearning by Hebbian coactivation of the skin of the tip of theright index finger in humans. Under placebo, tactile two-pointdiscrimination was improved on the coactivated but not on theleft index finger. This augmentation was blocked by an N-methyl-D-aspartate–receptorblocker, but doubled by amphetamine. No drug effects were foundon the left index finger. The individual amount of corticalreorganization as assessed by mapping of somatosensory evokedpotentials was linearly correlated with the pharmacologicalmodulation of discrimination thresholds, implying that perceptuallearning and associated cortical changes are controlled by basicmechanisms known to mediate and modulate synaptic plasticity.
1 Institute for Neuroinformatics, Department of Theoretical Biology, Ruhr-University Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany. 2 Department of Neurology, Ruhr-University Bochum, BG-Kliniken Bergmannsheil, D-44789 Bochum, Germany.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: hubert.dinse{at}neuroinformatik.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
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