Skill learning.

This chapter reviews recent experiments that have examined the functional neuroanatomy of motor and visuomotor skill learning using brain imaging techniques such as single photon emission computed tomography, positron emission tomography, and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Special attention has been given to the cerebral blood flow changes in the cerebellum that are associated with the acquisition of these skills, although localizations of other activated regions (cortical and subcortical) are also included. The cognitive processes involved in different skill acquisition paradigms are discussed with particular reference to the learning stages at which subjects were scanned. This approach examines the conditions that are likely to produce cerebellar activation and helps us understand the role of the cerebellum in acquiring skilled behaviors.