Role of the somatosensory cortex in motor memory consolidation

Motor memories become resistant to interference by the process of consolidation, which leads to long-term retention. Studies have shown involvement of the somatosensory cortex in motor learning-related plasticity, but not directly in motor memory consolidation. This Neuro Forum article reviews evidence from a continuous theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (cTBS) study by Kumar and colleagues (Kumar N, Manning TF, Ostry DJ. PLoS Biol 17: e3000469, 2019) that demonstrates the role of somatosensory, rather than motor, cortex in human motor memory consolidation during implicit motor learning.

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Does Provision of Extrinsic Feedback Result in Improved Motor Learning in the Upper Limb Poststroke? A Systematic Review of the Evidence

Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair ◽

10.1177/1545968309349941 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 113-124 ◽

Cited By ~ 100

Author(s):

Sandeep K. Subramanian ◽

Crystal L. Massie ◽

Matthew P. Malcolm ◽

Mindy F. Levin

Keyword(s):

Motor Learning ◽

Upper Limb ◽

Motor Recovery ◽

Adaptive Plasticity ◽

Single Subject ◽

Levels Of Evidence ◽

Implicit Motor Learning ◽

Implicit Motor ◽

Extrinsic Feedback

Background. Recovery of the upper limb (UL) after a stroke occurs well into the chronic stage. Stroke survivors can benefit from adaptive plasticity to improve UL movement through motor relearning. The provision of feedback has been shown to decrease the use of compensatory UL movement patterns. However, the effectiveness of feedback in improving UL motor recovery after a stroke has not yet been systematically reviewed. Objective.The objective of this review was to systematically examine the role of extrinsic feedback on implicit motor learning after stroke, focusing on UL movement and functional recovery. Results. The authors retrieved 9 studies that examined the role of feedback on UL motor recovery. Of these, 6 were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 1 was a single-subject design, 1 was a pre—post design, and 1 was a cohort study. The studies were rated on the basis of Sackett’s levels of evidence and PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database) scores for RCTs. Levels of evidence were limited (level 2b) for UL motor learning of the less-affected extremity and strong (level 1a) for the more-affected extremity. Discussion and conclusions. The results suggest that people with stroke may be capable of using extrinsic feedback for implicit motor learning and improving UL motor recovery. Emergent questions regarding the advantages of using different media for feedback delivery and the optimal type and schedule of feedback to enhance motor learning in patient populations still need to be addressed.

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Local coupling between sleep spindles and slow oscillations supports the consolidation of motor memories

10.1101/2020.08.24.264697 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Agustín Solano ◽

Luis A. Riquelme ◽

Daniel Perez-Chada ◽

Valeria Della-Maggiore

Keyword(s):

Motor Learning ◽

Memory Consolidation ◽

Nrem Sleep ◽

Motor Memory ◽

Common Mechanism ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Memory Retention ◽

Term Memory ◽

Slow Oscillations

AbstractThe precise coupling between slow oscillations (SO) and spindles is critical for sleep-dependent consolidation of declarative memories. Here, we examined whether this mechanism also operates in the stabilization of human motor memories during NREM sleep. We hypothesized that if the coupling of these oscillations is instrumental to motor memory consolidation then only SO-coupled spindles would predict long-term memory. We found that sleep enhanced long-term memory retention by 34%. Motor learning increased the density of spindles but not their frequency, duration or amplitude during NREM sleep. This modulation was manifested locally over the hemisphere contralateral to the trained hand. Although motor learning did not affect the density of SOs, it substantially modulated the spindle-SO coupling in an inter-hemispheric manner, suggesting it may rather increase the ability of slow oscillations to promote thalamic spindles. The fact that only coupled spindles predicted long-term memory points to the association of these oscillations as a fundamental signature of motor memory consolidation. Our work provides evidence in favor of a common mechanism at the basis of the stabilization of declarative and non-declarative memories.

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Non-linear effects of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the primary motor cortex on implicit motor learning

Experimental Brain Research ◽

10.1007/s00221-019-05477-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 237 (4) ◽

pp. 919-925 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Gali Shilo ◽

Michal Lavidor

Keyword(s):

Motor Cortex ◽

Motor Learning ◽

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Implicit Motor Learning ◽

Non Linear ◽

Implicit Motor ◽

Linear Effects

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Implicit motor learning in primary school children: A systematic review

Journal of Sports Sciences ◽

10.1080/02640414.2021.1947010 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-19

Author(s):

Femke van Abswoude ◽

Remo Mombarg ◽

Wouter de Groot ◽

Gwennyth Eileen Spruijtenburg ◽

Bert Steenbergen

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Motor Learning ◽

Primary School ◽

School Children ◽

Primary School Children ◽

Implicit Motor Learning ◽

Implicit Motor

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Implicit motor learning within three trials

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-81031-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer E. Ruttle ◽

Bernard Marius ’t Hart ◽

Denise Y. P. Henriques

Keyword(s):

Motor Learning ◽

Implicit Learning ◽

Time Course ◽

Skills Training ◽

Implicit Processes ◽

Training Performance ◽

Slow Development ◽

Implicit Motor Learning ◽

Implicit Motor ◽

And Shifts

AbstractIn motor learning, the slow development of implicit learning is traditionally taken for granted. While much is known about training performance during adaptation to a perturbation in reaches, saccades and locomotion, little is known about the time course of the underlying implicit processes during normal motor adaptation. Implicit learning is characterized by both changes in internal models and state estimates of limb position. Here, we measure both as reach aftereffects and shifts in hand localization in our participants, after every training trial. The observed implicit changes were near asymptote after only one to three perturbed training trials and were not predicted by a two-rate model’s slow process that is supposed to capture implicit learning. Hence, we show that implicit learning is much faster than conventionally believed, which has implications for rehabilitation and skills training.

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