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<p>Prior knowledge accelerates subsequent learning of similarly structured problems – a phenomenon termed learning to learn – by forming generalizable neural representations called neural correlates of schema (NCS). However, how the brain exploits stable NCS while remaining flexible towards changes (the stability-plasticity dilemma) remains unclear. Here, we show that the primate brain addresses this dilemma by representing the stable NCS and task-unique changes in a near-orthogonal manner. We analyzed neural activities in the dorsolateral premotor cortex of three male macaques trained to perform a series of visuomotor mapping tasks. By delineating decision and stimulus-related subspaces, we identified NCS within the decision subspace, whose reuse facilitated subsequent learning. In addition, the decision subspace exhibited a near-orthogonal relationship with the stimulus-related subspace, minimizing cross-domain interference. Our results reveal that restricting NCS to specific functional domains can preserve useful knowledge while maintaining near-orthogonality with other subspaces, enabling flexible adaptation to new environments, thereby resolving the stability-plasticity dilemma.</p>

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Domain-specific schema reuse supports flexible learning to learn in the primate brain

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月29日

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  • Kaixi Tian,
  • Zhiping Zhao,
  • Yang Chen,
  • Ningling Ge,
  • Shenghao Cao,
  • Xinyong Han,
  • Jianwen Gu,
  • Shan Yu

摘要

Prior knowledge accelerates subsequent learning of similarly structured problems – a phenomenon termed learning to learn – by forming generalizable neural representations called neural correlates of schema (NCS). However, how the brain exploits stable NCS while remaining flexible towards changes (the stability-plasticity dilemma) remains unclear. Here, we show that the primate brain addresses this dilemma by representing the stable NCS and task-unique changes in a near-orthogonal manner. We analyzed neural activities in the dorsolateral premotor cortex of three male macaques trained to perform a series of visuomotor mapping tasks. By delineating decision and stimulus-related subspaces, we identified NCS within the decision subspace, whose reuse facilitated subsequent learning. In addition, the decision subspace exhibited a near-orthogonal relationship with the stimulus-related subspace, minimizing cross-domain interference. Our results reveal that restricting NCS to specific functional domains can preserve useful knowledge while maintaining near-orthogonality with other subspaces, enabling flexible adaptation to new environments, thereby resolving the stability-plasticity dilemma.