Motor skill learning with impaired transfer by children with developmental coordination disorder

Cross-sectional studies suggest that motor skill learning is associated with working memory (WM) and white matter integrity (WMI). However, it has not been established whether motor skill learning improves WM performance, and information on its neural mechanisms have not been clearly elucidated. Therefore, this study compared WM and WMI across time points prior to and following football juggling learning, in early adulthood (18–20 years old), relative to a control group. Study participants in the experimental group were subjected to football juggling for 10 weeks while participants in the control category went on with their routine life activities for the same period of time and were not involved in the learning-related activities. Data on cognitive measurements and that from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were collected before and after learning. There was a significant improvement in WM performance of the experimental group after motor learning, although no improvement was observed in the control group. Additionally, after learning, DTI data revealed a significant increase in functional anisotropy (FA) in the genu of corpus callosum (GOCC) and the right anterior corona radiata (R.ACR) in the experimental group. Moreover, the better WM associated with football juggling learning was correlated to a higher FA. Mediation analysis suggested that FA in the GOCC acts as a mediation variable between football juggling learning and WM. These findings show that motor skill learning improves the WM and remodels WMI in early adulthood. With a particular emphasis on the importance of WMI in motor skill learning and WM, this study also revealed the possible neural mechanisms mediated by WMI.

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Tactile localization performance in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) corresponds to their motor skill and not their cognitive ability

Human Movement Science ◽

10.1016/j.humov.2016.12.008 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 72-83 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Joanne S. Johnston ◽

Jannath Begum Ali ◽

Elisabeth L. Hill ◽

Andrew J. Bremner

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Ability ◽

Motor Skill ◽

Developmental Coordination Disorder ◽

Tactile Localization ◽

Localization Performance ◽

Coordination Disorder

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Motor Skill Acquisition in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder

Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly ◽

10.1123/apaq.11.2.214 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 214-235 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

Cheryl Missiuna

Keyword(s):

Motor Skills ◽

Skill Acquisition ◽

Motor Skill ◽

Developmental Coordination Disorder ◽

Matched Control ◽

Motor Skill Acquisition ◽

Rate Of Learning ◽

Stages Of Learning ◽

Coordination Disorder ◽

Effect Of Age

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) demonstrate coordination difficulties during the learning of novel motor skills; no previous studies, however, have investigated their ability to learn and then generalize a new movement. This study compared 24 young children with DCD with 24 age-matched control children (AMC) during the early stages of learning a simple aiming task. Children with DCD were found to perform more poorly than their peers on measures of acquired motor skill, and to react and move more slowly at every level of task performance. The effect of age and its relationship to practice of the task was also different within each group. The groups did not differ, however, in their rate of learning, or in the extent to which they were able to generalize the learned movement. Children with DCD sacrificed more speed than the AMC group when aiming at a small target, but the effects of amplitude and directional changes were quite similar for each group. The implications of these findings are discussed.

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Motor-Skill Learning Is Dependent on Astrocytic Activity

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2015/938023 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Ragunathan Padmashri ◽

Anand Suresh ◽

Michael D. Boska ◽

Anna Dunaevsky

Keyword(s):

Motor Skill ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Skill Training ◽

Long Term Potentiation ◽

Skill Learning ◽

Metabolic Inhibitor ◽

Motor Skill Learning ◽

Reaching Task ◽

Learning Impairment

Motor-skill learning induces changes in synaptic structure and function in the primary motor cortex through the involvement of a long-term potentiation- (LTP-) like mechanism. Although there is evidence that calcium-dependent release of gliotransmitters by astrocytes plays an important role in synaptic transmission and plasticity, the role of astrocytes in motor-skill learning is not known. To test the hypothesis that astrocytic activity is necessary for motor-skill learning, we perturbed astrocytic function using pharmacological and genetic approaches. We find that perturbation of astrocytes either by selectively attenuating IP3R2 mediated astrocyte Ca2+signaling or using an astrocyte specific metabolic inhibitor fluorocitrate (FC) results in impaired motor-skill learning of a forelimb reaching-task in mice. Moreover, the learning impairment caused by blocking astrocytic activity using FC was rescued by administration of the gliotransmitter D-serine. The learning impairments are likely caused by impaired LTP as FC blocked LTP in slices and prevented motor-skill training-induced increases in synaptic AMPA-type glutamate receptorin vivo. These results support the conclusion that normal astrocytic Ca2+signaling during a reaching task is necessary for motor-skill learning.

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