PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Oh, rats! How the "learning machine" of the brain speaks in different codes

Rodent study reveals different signaling codes for learned skills and clues about human movement disorders

2025-08-11
(Press-News.org) Oh, Rats!

Rodent study reveals different signaling codes for learned skills and clues about human movement disorders

By Kermit Pattison / Harvard Staff Writer

 

Among the many wonders of the brain is its ability to master learned movements—a dance step, piano sonata, or tying our shoes—acquired through trial-and-error practice.

For decades, neuroscientists have known that these tasks require a cluster of brain areas known as the basal ganglia.

According to a new study [link will go live when study published 11 August] led by Harvard researchers in Nature Neuroscience, this so-called “learning machine” speaks in two different codes—one for recently-acquired learned movements and another for innate “natural” behaviors. These surprising findings from lab rats may shed light on human movement disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease.

“When we compared the codes across these two behavioral domains, we found that they were very different,” said Bence Ölveczky, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB). “They had nothing to do with each other. They were both faithfully reflecting  the animal’s movements, but the language was profoundly different.”

Located in the midbrain below the cerebral cortex, the basal ganglia are involved in reward, emotion, and motor control. This region also is the site of some of our most infamous movement disorders: Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington Disease, and Tourette Syndrome all arise from different defects of the basal ganglia.

Although it has long been known that the basal ganglia play a central role in motor control among mammals, it remains unclear whether this part of the brain directs all movements or just those for specialized tasks. Some researchers posit that it acts as a learning locus for movements acquired through practice, but not other routine behaviors. Other scholars argue that it plays a role in all movements.

To shed light on this mystery, the researchers scrutinized one particular part of the basal ganglia in rats—the dorsolateral striatum (DLS), which plays a role in learned behaviors.

The team studied rats during two different activities: free exploration and a learned task in which they were trained to press a lever twice within a specific time interval to obtain a reward. To track their movements, the team used a system of six cameras around the enclosure plus a software system that categorized behaviors.

In earlier studies, the team removed the DLS of rats, who afterwards showed no differences in free exploration, demonstrating that the DLS played no role in natural behaviors such as walking or grooming. But the same animals were profoundly impaired when performing learned tasks, revealing that the DLS was essential for the newly-acquired skills.

"There was a massive change, like night and day," Kiah Hardcastle, a postdoctoral fellow in the Ölveczky lab and lead author of the new study, said of the prior work. “The animal could do a task super well, performing a stereotyped movement repeatedly, like 30,000 times. Then you lesion the DLS and they never do that movement again."

In the new study, the investigators sought to understand the neural activity during these behaviors, implanting tiny electrodes into the brains of rats and recording the electrical firing of neurons as they engaged in free exploration and the learned task.

To their surprise, they discovered the basal ganglia used two distinct “kinematic codes”—or patterns of neuronal electrical activity—during the learned task and natural movements.

“It’s as if the basal ganglia 'speak' different languages when the animal performs learned versus innate movements,” said Ölveczky. “Brain areas downstream that control movement only know one of these languages—the one spoken during learned behaviors.”

The researchers concluded in the paper that the basal ganglia switch back and forth “between being an essential actor and a mere observer.” Hardcastle speculated that the basal ganglia may be unable to completely turn off electrical signaling when not directing behavior so it shifts to a harmless “null code.”

Ölveczky said the findings may well be informative about humans because the structures below the cerebral cortex are believed to have remained largely conserved through evolutionary time. He believes the study demonstrates that the basal ganglia play essential roles in learned movements— but not necessarily in routine motor control. He also thinks the findings offer hints about what may go wrong in some human movement disorders.

“Our research suggests that the pathology associated with Parkinson's can be understood as the diseased basal ganglia speaking gibberish, but in a very loud and forceful way,” said Ölveczky. “Thus, it inserts itself, in a nonsensical way, into behaviors it would otherwise not control.”

 

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Oxford study outlines new blueprint to help tackle the biodiversity impacts of farming

2025-08-11
A study led by researchers at the University of Oxford, working closely with colleagues from Duurzame Zuivelketen (DZK), among others, has developed a framework to help agricultural sectors better contribute to global biodiversity targets without causing unintended harms. Published today (11 August) in npj Biodiversity, the study is based upon data from the Dutch dairy sector in 2020, covering nearly 8,950 farms (approximately 1.6 million cows). They first established a single combined score to track biodiversity impacts against possible sectoral targets; but found that while using such a score can be helpful to track overall progress, such methods can mask important local impacts (such as ...

Coastline of lakes an important part of global carbon cycle

2025-08-11
Lakes have long been viewed as sources of carbon dioxide emissions, but new research suggests they may actually act as carbon sinks. A study led by Uppsala University reveals that lake shorelines store more carbon than previously believed, highlighting the need to include these littoral zones in calculations of the continental carbon balance. The ‘coastlines’ of lakes, called littoral zones, are often surrounded by aquatic plants that are among the fastest growing plants in the world. They take up a large amount of carbon from the atmosphere ...

Researchers identify a potential biomarker for long COVID

2025-08-11
PHOENIX, Ariz. (August 11, 2025) — Researchers from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, and the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center have identified a potential biomarker for long COVID. If the findings of their study are confirmed by other research centers, the biomarker could be the first specific and quantifiable indicator for confirming long COVID. Currently, clinicians confer a diagnosis of long COVID based upon a collection of symptoms that patients develop after SARS-CoV-2 infection. “If a patient arrives in clinic and they relate the persistence of typical signs and ...

New tool aims to improve lung cancer prevention, screening, and treatment

2025-08-11
Experts have created a customizable, web-based tool that provides state and local leaders with tailored resources to reduce lung cancer mortality rates and advance treatment. The tool’s development and features are described in an article published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Although lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer and cancer deaths worldwide, screening rates have remained low, leading to delayed diagnoses and care and ultimately resulting in high mortality rates. To reduce lung cancer deaths, the American Cancer Society National Lung Cancer Roundtable (ACS NLCRT) was founded in 2017 to unite ...

Cultivating compassion in children can lead to healthier eating habits

2025-08-11
Ann Arbor, August 11, 2025 – A new analysis using data from a longitudinal study that followed children between the ages of 5 and 17 has revealed a surprising association; kids who engaged in kind, caring, and helpful behaviors (being prosocial), were more likely to sustain healthy eating habits as teenagers. The findings from the study appearing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, suggest that fostering prosociality throughout childhood may be a novel intervention strategy to promote healthy eating. Researchers analyzed data from the Millennium Cohort Study, ...

New study of East Palestine, Ohio, train disaster finds high rates of PTSD and depression in affected communities

2025-08-11
Media Advisory University Communications Contact: Blaire Weiman, University Communications bweiman@virginia.edu Marshall Eckblad, University Communications marshalle@virginia.edu   Researchers show persistent psychological toll on residents exposed to chemical spill in Ohio, Pennsylvania, andWest Virginia, with half of those living near the disaster also reporting worsening physical health symptoms anddistrust in government information. ...

Study: Routine childhood and adolescent immunizations declining in Michigan

2025-08-11
Routine childhood and adolescent immunizations declined in Michigan between 2017 and 2023, particularly among counties with lower household income and higher uninsurance rates, a new study suggests. For many key pediatric vaccines, completion rates dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and have not yet recovered, according to Michigan Medicine led findings in Pediatrics.   “Our findings show that progress towards increasing childhood and adolescent immunizations is stalling in Michigan, increasing the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases,” said senior author Kao-Ping Chua, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatrician and researcher at University of Michigan ...

Pharmacotherapy for the management of obesity — an updated guideline

2025-08-11
VIEW EMBARGOED ARTICLE “Pharmacotherapy can help people living with obesity improve overall health, not just lose weight,” says Dr. Sue D. Pedersen, MD, endocrinologist and obesity medicine specialist in Calgary, and lead author of this guideline. “The goal of obesity medications is to improve metabolic, mechanical, and/or mental health, and improve quality of life, incorporating treatment goals that are important to each individual patient.” The guideline includes 6 new and 7 revised recommendations, reflecting the latest evidence since the 2022 and 2020 versions of the guideline. It takes the ...

Five things to know about cannabis and psychosis

2025-08-11
VIEW EMBARGOED ARTICLE Cannabis potency is increasing — The concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has increased fivefold in the last 20 years in Canada from about 4% to 20% in most legal dried cannabis. High-potency and regular cannabis use is linked to increased risk of psychosis — The risk of psychosis is increased in people using high-potency THC (more than 10% THC), people using it frequently, and those who are younger and male. A history of mental disorders (depression, anxiety, etc.) also appears to increase ...

Ancient practice of blowing through a conch shell could help to treat dangerous snoring condition

2025-08-11
People who practised blowing through a conch shell regularly for six months experienced a reduction in their symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), according to a small randomised controlled trial published today (Monday) in ERJ Open Research [1].   OSA is a common sleep disorder where breathing repeatedly stops during the night due to a blocked airway. It leads to loud snoring, restless sleep and daytime sleepiness. It also increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.   Blowing ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Is writing with AI at work undermining your credibility?

Parasitic worms evolved to suppress neurons in skin

Stalking, obtaining restraining order linked with increased cardiovascular disease risk in women

Women who have been stalked may have a higher risk of heart disease, stroke

Milestone for medical research: New method enables comprehensive identification of omega fatty acids

Strategically bringing back beavers could support healthy and climate-resilient watersheds

The cerebral cortex ages less than thought

Neurodegenerative diseases: What if the key lies in the mitochondria?

Researchers discover tantalisingly ‘sneaky’ way to help diners make healthier, greener menu choices

Conditional cash transfers significantly reduce AIDS incidence and mortality among brazil’s most vulnerable women

Oh, rats! How the "learning machine" of the brain speaks in different codes

Oxford study outlines new blueprint to help tackle the biodiversity impacts of farming

Coastline of lakes an important part of global carbon cycle

Researchers identify a potential biomarker for long COVID

New tool aims to improve lung cancer prevention, screening, and treatment

Cultivating compassion in children can lead to healthier eating habits

New study of East Palestine, Ohio, train disaster finds high rates of PTSD and depression in affected communities

Study: Routine childhood and adolescent immunizations declining in Michigan

Pharmacotherapy for the management of obesity — an updated guideline

Five things to know about cannabis and psychosis

Ancient practice of blowing through a conch shell could help to treat dangerous snoring condition

Research highlights depression risk in high-performance athletes, despite benefits of physical activity

Scientists uncover new way in which cells tolerate anticancer drugs

Athlete mental health support from coaches “under explored” in research amidst deselection concerns

UCLA study reveals complex muscle control behind blinking and eyelid function

Destructive cosmic airbursts likely more common than previously believed

Does a parent’s exposure to workplace chemicals affect autism in their children?

Yale study: Mobile phone app reduced suicidal behavior among high-risk patients

‘A tipping point’: An update from the frontiers of Alzheimer’s disease research 

Copper antimicrobials can drive antibiotic resistance in bacteria, but there’s a fix, scientists say

[Press-News.org] Oh, rats! How the "learning machine" of the brain speaks in different codes
Rodent study reveals different signaling codes for learned skills and clues about human movement disorders