Speech Motor Sequence Learning: Acquisition and Retention in Parkinson Disease and Normal Aging

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 1477-1492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason A. Whitfield ◽  
Alexander M. Goberman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Parkinson Disease ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Current Investigation ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Sequence Performance ◽  
Speed And Accuracy ◽  
Speech Motor

Purpose The aim of the current investigation was to examine speech motor sequence learning in neurologically healthy younger adults, neurologically healthy older adults, and individuals with Parkinson disease (PD) over a 2-day period. Method A sequential nonword repetition task was used to examine learning over 2 days. Participants practiced a sequence of 6 monosyllabic nonwords that was retested following nighttime sleep. The speed and accuracy of the nonword sequence were measured, and learning was inferred by examining performance within and between sessions. Results Though all groups exhibited comparable improvements of the nonword sequence performance during the initial session, between-session retention of the nonword sequence differed between groups. Younger adult controls exhibited offline gains, characterized by an increase in the speed and accuracy of nonword sequence performance across sessions, whereas older adults exhibited stable between-session performance. Individuals with PD exhibited offline losses, marked by an increase in sequence duration between sessions. Conclusions The current results demonstrate that both PD and normal aging affect retention of speech motor learning. Furthermore, these data suggest that basal ganglia dysfunction associated with PD may affect the later stages of speech motor learning. Findings from the current investigation are discussed in relation to studies examining consolidation of nonspeech motor learning.

Speech Motor Sequence Learning: Effect of Parkinson Disease and Normal Aging on Dual-Task Performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (6S) ◽  
pp. 1752-1765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason A. Whitfield ◽  
Alexander M. Goberman
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Parkinson Disease ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Adult Group ◽  
Task Interference ◽  
Task Conditions ◽  
Dual Task Interference ◽  
Speech Motor

Purpose Everyday communication is carried out concurrently with other tasks. Therefore, determining how dual tasks interfere with newly learned speech motor skills can offer insight into the cognitive mechanisms underlying speech motor learning in Parkinson disease (PD). The current investigation examines a recently learned speech motor sequence under dual-task conditions. Method A previously learned sequence of 6 monosyllabic nonwords was examined using a dual-task paradigm. Participants repeated the sequence while concurrently performing a visuomotor task, and performance on both tasks was measured in single- and dual-task conditions. Results The younger adult group exhibited little to no dual-task interference on the accuracy and duration of the sequence. The older adult group exhibited variability in dual-task costs, with the group as a whole exhibiting an intermediate, though significant, amount of dual-task interference. The PD group exhibited the largest degree of bidirectional dual-task interference among all the groups. Conclusions These data suggest that PD affects the later stages of speech motor learning, as the dual-task condition interfered with production of the recently learned sequence beyond the effect of normal aging. Because the basal ganglia is critical for the later stages of motor sequence learning, the observed deficits may result from the underlying neural dysfunction associated with PD.

scholarly journals The Neural Correlates of Speech Motor Sequence Learning

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 819-831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Segawa ◽  
Jason A. Tourville ◽  
Deryk S. Beal ◽  
Frank H. Guenther
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Learning Success ◽  
Frontal Operculum ◽  
Speech Motor Learning ◽  
Speech Motor

Speech is perhaps the most sophisticated example of a species-wide movement capability in the animal kingdom, requiring split-second sequencing of approximately 100 muscles in the respiratory, laryngeal, and oral movement systems. Despite the unique role speech plays in human interaction and the debilitating impact of its disruption, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying speech motor learning. Here, we studied the behavioral and neural correlates of learning new speech motor sequences. Participants repeatedly produced novel, meaningless syllables comprising illegal consonant clusters (e.g., GVAZF) over 2 days of practice. Following practice, participants produced the sequences with fewer errors and shorter durations, indicative of motor learning. Using fMRI, we compared brain activity during production of the learned illegal sequences and novel illegal sequences. Greater activity was noted during production of novel sequences in brain regions linked to non-speech motor sequence learning, including the BG and pre-SMA. Activity during novel sequence production was also greater in brain regions associated with learning and maintaining speech motor programs, including lateral premotor cortex, frontal operculum, and posterior superior temporal cortex. Measures of learning success correlated positively with activity in left frontal operculum and white matter integrity under left posterior superior temporal sulcus. These findings indicate speech motor sequence learning relies not only on brain areas involved generally in motor sequencing learning but also those associated with feedback-based speech motor learning. Furthermore, learning success is modulated by the integrity of structural connectivity between these motor and sensory brain regions.

scholarly journals Association of COMT val158met and DRD2 G>T genetic polymorphisms with individual differences in motor learning and performance in female young adults

2014 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 628-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Noohi ◽  
Nate B. Boyden ◽  
Youngbin Kwak ◽  
Jennifer Humfleet ◽  
David T. Burke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Genetic Polymorphisms ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Striatal Dopamine ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Comt Val158met ◽  
Adaptation Task

Individuals learn new skills at different rates. Given the involvement of corticostriatal pathways in some types of learning, variations in dopaminergic transmission may contribute to these individual differences. Genetic polymorphisms of the catechol- O-methyltransferase (COMT) enzyme and dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) genes partially determine cortical and striatal dopamine availability, respectively. Individuals who are homozygous for the COMT methionine ( met) allele show reduced cortical COMT enzymatic activity, resulting in increased dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex as opposed to individuals who are carriers of the valine ( val) allele. DRD2 G-allele homozygotes benefit from a higher striatal dopamine level compared with T-allele carriers. We hypothesized that individuals who are homozygous for COMT met and DRD2 G alleles would show higher rates of motor learning. Seventy-two young healthy females (20 ± 1.9 yr) performed a sensorimotor adaptation task and a motor sequence learning task. A nonparametric mixed model ANOVA revealed that the COMT val-val group demonstrated poorer performance in the sequence learning task compared with the met-met group and showed a learning deficit in the visuomotor adaptation task compared with both met-met and val-met groups. The DRD2 TT group showed poorer performance in the sequence learning task compared with the GT group, but there was no difference between DRD2 genotype groups in adaptation rate. Although these results did not entirely come out as one might predict based on the known contribution of corticostriatal pathways to motor sequence learning, they support the role of genetic polymorphisms of COMT val158met (rs4680) and DRD2 G>T (rs 1076560) in explaining individual differences in motor performance and motor learning, dependent on task type.

scholarly journals Age-Related Declines in Visuospatial Working Memory Correlate With Deficits in Explicit Motor Sequence Learning

2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (5) ◽  
pp. 2744-2754 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Bo ◽  
V. Borza ◽  
R. D. Seidler
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Visuospatial Working Memory ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Age Related

Numerous studies have shown that older adults exhibit deficits in motor sequence learning, but the mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear. Our recent work has shown that visuospatial working-memory capacity predicts the rate of motor sequence learning and the length of motor chunks formed during explicit sequence learning in young adults. In the current study, we evaluate whether age-related deficits in working memory explain the reduced rate of motor sequence learning in older adults. We found that older adults exhibited a correlation between visuospatial working-memory capacity and motor sequence chunk length, as we observed previously in young adults. In addition, older adults exhibited an overall reduction in both working-memory capacity and motor chunk length compared with that of young adults. However, individual variations in visuospatial working-memory capacity did not correlate with the rate of learning in older adults. These results indicate that working memory declines with age at least partially explain age-related differences in explicit motor sequence learning.

Predicting Motor Sequence Learning in People With Parkinson Disease

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geneviève N. Olivier ◽  
Serene S. Paul ◽  
Keith R. Lohse ◽  
Christopher S. Walter ◽  
Sydney Y. Schaefer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson Disease ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence

scholarly journals Multidimensional Motor Sequence Learning Is Impaired in Older But Not Younger or Middle-Aged Adults

2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara A Boyd ◽  
Eric D Vidoni ◽  
Catherine F Siengsukon
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Adult Group ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Retention Testing ◽  
Interference Tests ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

Background and Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify which characteristics of a multidimensional sequence containing motor, spatial, and temporal elements would be most salient for motor sequence learning and whether age might differentially affect this learning. Subjects Younger (n=11, mean age=26.0 years), middle-aged (n=13, mean age=50.7 years), and older (n=11, mean age=77.5 years) adults who were neurologically intact participated in the study. Methods Participants practiced a sequencing task with repeated motor, spatial, and temporal dimensions for 2 days; on a separate third day, participants completed retention and interference tests designed to assess sequence learning and which elements of the sequence were learned. The mean median response time for each block of responses was used to assess motor sequence learning. Results Younger and middle-aged adults demonstrated sequence-specific motor learning at retention testing via faster response times for repeated sequences than random sequences; both of these groups showed interference for the motor dimension. In contrast, older adults demonstrated nonspecific learning (ie, similar improvements in response time for both random and repeated sequences). These findings were shown by a lack of difference between random and repeated sequence performance in the older adult group both at retention testing and during interference tests. Conclusion and Discussion Our data suggest that, when younger and middle-aged adults practice sequences containing multiple dimensions of movement, the motor element is most important for motor learning. The absence of sequence-specific change demonstrated by an older adult group that was healthy suggests an age-related impairment in motor learning that may have profound implications for rehabilitation.

scholarly journals Behavioral and neural correlates of speech motor sequence learning in stuttering and neurotypical speakers: an fMRI investigation

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-86
Author(s):  
Matthew Masapollo ◽  
Jennifer A. Segawa ◽  
Deryk S. Beal ◽  
Jason A. Tourville ◽  
Alfonso Nieto-Castañón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Motor Planning ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Motor Practice ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Speech Motor

Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired production of coordinated articulatory movements needed for fluent speech. It is currently unknown whether these abnormal production characteristics reflect disruptions to brain mechanisms underlying the acquisition and/or execution of speech motor sequences. To dissociate learning and control processes, we used a motor sequence learning paradigm to examine the behavioral and neural correlates of learning to produce novel phoneme sequences in adults who stutter (AWS) and neurotypical controls. Participants intensively practiced producing pseudowords containing non-native consonant clusters (e.g., “gvasf”) over two days. The behavioral results indicated that although the two experimental groups showed comparable learning trajectories, AWS performed significantly worse on the task prior to and after speech motor practice. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the authors compared brain activity during articulation of the practiced words and a set of novel pseudowords (matched in phonetic complexity). FMRI analyses revealed no differences between AWS and controls in cortical or subcortical regions; both groups showed comparable increases in activation in left-lateralized brain areas implicated in phonological working memory and speech motor planning during production of the novel sequences compared to the practiced sequences. Moreover, activation in left-lateralized basal ganglia sites was negatively correlated with in-scanner mean disfluency in AWS. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that AWS exhibit no deficit in constructing new speech motor sequences but do show impaired execution of these sequences before and after they have been acquired and consolidated.

Stress Modulates the Balance between Hippocampal and Motor Networks during Motor Memory Processing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Dolfen ◽  
B R King ◽  
L Schwabe ◽  
M A Gann ◽  
M P Veldman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Motor Memory ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Memory Processing ◽  
Sleep Episode ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The functional interaction between hippocampo- and striato-cortical regions during motor sequence learning is essential to trigger optimal memory consolidation. Based on previous evidence from other memory domains that stress alters the balance between these systems, we investigated whether exposure to stress prior to motor learning modulates motor memory processes. Seventy-two healthy young individuals were exposed to a stressful or nonstressful control intervention prior to training on a motor sequence learning task in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Consolidation was assessed with an MRI retest after a sleep episode. Behavioral results indicate that stress prior to learning did not influence motor performance. At the neural level, stress induced both a larger recruitment of sensorimotor regions and a greater disengagement of hippocampo-cortical networks during training. Brain-behavior regression analyses showed that while this stress-induced shift from (hippocampo-)fronto-parietal to motor networks was beneficial for initial performance, it was detrimental for consolidation. Our results provide the first experimental evidence that stress modulates the neural networks recruited during motor memory processing and therefore effectively unify concepts and mechanisms from diverse memory fields. Critically, our findings suggest that intersubject variability in brain responses to stress determines the impact of stress on motor learning and subsequent consolidation.

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