Complementary white matter networks support flexible concept learning
- 1Department of Psychology, University of Toronto , , ,
Abstract
Introduction: Concept learning is not an isolated act of cognition; it recruits a host of core mechanisms, including working memory, decision making, and attention. A wide range of brain networks spanning cortical and subcortical areas support these operations, which have been identified via activation patterns related to concept learning. A critical open question, however, is whether the white matter architecture connecting these regions serves as the structural scaffold that makes such flexible learning possible.
Methods: We employed a rule-plus-exception learning paradigm wherein participants categorized visually complex stimuli. While some items closely followed the rules, exceptions violated them, acting as a behavioural index of flexible learning. We quantified the integrity of white matter tracts across the whole human brain using diffusion-weighted imaging and leveraged correlational tractography to uncover their behavioural relevance.
Results: Correlational tractography revealed two distinct white matter networks associated with individual variability in either rule or exception learning. The network supporting exception learning was predominantly subcortical-limbic, comprising the fornix, thalamic radiations, and forceps minor alongside the left frontal-parietal cingulum, a pattern consistent with hippocampal-prefrontal communication and cognitive control over atypical exemplars. Conversely, the network for rule-based items was distinguished by long-range cortico-cortical and cortico-cerebellar pathways, including the right frontal-parietal cingulum, the middle longitudinal fasciculus, and the middle cerebellar peduncle, reflecting the integration of visual features with abstract rule representations and their gradual automatization.
Discussion: These findings provide novel evidence that complementary white matter networks support flexible concept formation and offer a neuroanatomical basis for characterizing individual differences in flexible concept learning.
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BibTeX
@article{gumus2026complementary,
title = {{Complementary white matter networks support flexible concept learning}},
author = {Melisa Gumus and Nahal Alizadeh Saghati and Michael L. Mack},
journal = {Frontiers in neuroscience},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3389/fnins.2026.1877268},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13662064},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Complementary white matter networks support flexible concept learning
AU - Melisa Gumus
AU - Nahal Alizadeh Saghati
AU - Michael L. Mack
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Frontiers in neuroscience
DO - 10.3389/fnins.2026.1877268
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13662064
AB - Introduction: Concept learning is not an isolated act of cognition; it recruits a host of core mechanisms, including working memory, decision making, and attention. A wide range of brain networks spanning cortical and subcortical areas support these operations, which have been identified via activation patterns related to concept learning. A critical open question, however, is whether the white matter architecture connecting these regions serves as the structural scaffold that makes such flexible learning possible. Methods: We employed a rule-plus-exception learning paradigm wherein participants categorized visually complex stimuli. While some items closely followed the rules, exceptions violated them, acting as a behavioural index of flexible learning. We quantified the integrity of white matter tracts across the whole human brain using diffusion-weighted imaging and leveraged correlational tractography to uncover their behavioural relevance. Results: Correlational tractography revealed two distinct white matter networks associated with individual variability in either rule or exception learning. The network supporting exception learning was predominantly subcortical-limbic, comprising the fornix, thalamic radiations, and forceps minor alongside the left frontal-parietal cingulum, a pattern consistent with hippocampal-prefrontal communication and cognitive control over atypical exemplars. Conversely, the network for rule-based items was distinguished by long-range cortico-cortical and cortico-cerebellar pathways, including the right frontal-parietal cingulum, the middle longitudinal fasciculus, and the middle cerebellar peduncle, reflecting the integration of visual features with abstract rule representations and their gradual automatization. Discussion: These findings provide novel evidence that complementary white matter networks support flexible concept formation and offer a neuroanatomical basis for characterizing individual differences in flexible concept learning.
SN - 1662-4548
SN - 1662-453X
ER -