Kadmon Harpaz N, Hardcastle K, Ölveczky BP.
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2022 Aug 25;76:102624. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2022.102624.
As the old adage goes: practice makes perfect. Yet, the neural mechanisms by which rote repetition transforms a halting behavior into a fluid, effortless, and “automatic” action are not well understood. Here we consider the possibility that well-practiced motor sequences, which initially rely on higher-level decision-making circuits, become wholly specified in lower-level control circuits. We review studies informing this idea, discuss the constraints on such shift in control, and suggest approaches to pinpoint circuit-level changes associated with motor sequence learning.