Cortical areas supporting category learning identified using functional MRI

Functional MRI was used to identify cortical areas involved in category learning by prototype abstraction. Participants studied 40 dot patterns that were distortions of an underlying prototype and then, while functional MRI data were collected, made yes-no category judgments about new dot patterns. The dot patterns alternated between ones mostly requiring a “yes” response and ones mostly requiring a “no” response. Activity in four cortical areas correlated with the category judgment task. A sizeable posterior occipital cortical area (BA 17/18) exhibited significantly less activity during processing of the categorical patterns than during processing of noncategorical patterns. Significant increases in activity during processing the categorical patterns were observed in left and right anterior frontal cortex (BA 10) and right inferior lateral frontal cortex (BA 44/47). Decreases in activation of visual cortex when categorical patterns were being evaluated suggest that these patterns could be processed in a more rapid or less effortful manner after the prototype had been learned. Increases in prefrontal activity associated with processing categorical patterns could be related to any of several processes involved in retrieving information about the learned exemplars.