A normative principle governing memory transfer in cerebellar motor learning

Hyojin Bae, Jewoo Seo, Chang-Eop Kim () and Sang Jeong Kim ()
Additional contact information
Hyojin Bae: Gachon University College of Korean Medicine
Jewoo Seo: Seoul National University College of Medicine
Chang-Eop Kim: Gachon University College of Korean Medicine
Sang Jeong Kim: Seoul National University College of Medicine

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Abstract The cerebellum, consisting of the cerebellar cortex and nuclei, plays a crucial role in motor learning and exhibits a phenomenon known as systems consolidation, where memory traces are transferred from the cortex to the nuclei. However, the underlying principles and mechanisms governing this memory transfer remain unclear. In this study, we propose a normative framework extending the bias-variance tradeoff that predicts task difficulty as a key factor regulating memory transfer. We model the cerebellum as a dual learning system composed of a complex cortical network and simpler nuclear network, with a cost function that trades off bias, variance, and overhead costs. Computational simulations and in-vivo optogenetic experiments in male mice demonstrate that easier tasks promote greater transfer to the simpler system during consolidation, while harder tasks favor retention in the complex system. Moreover, task difficulty correlates with the specificity of the learned response to untrained stimulus conditions. Our findings provide a unifying framework that explains previously disparate experimental observations and generates testable predictions regarding cerebellar learning and memory consolidation.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60511-z Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-60511-z

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60511-z

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().