scholarly journals Providing Task Instructions During Motor Training Enhances Performance and Modulates Attentional Brain Networks

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joaquin Penalver-Andres ◽  
Karin A. Buetler ◽  
Thomas Koenig ◽  
René Martin Müri ◽  
Laura Marchal-Crespo
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Cognitive Engagement ◽  
Alpha Band ◽  
Task Instructions ◽  
Attentional Networks ◽  
Implicit Training

Learning a new motor task is a complex cognitive and motor process. Especially early during motor learning, cognitive functions such as attentional engagement, are essential, e.g., to discover relevant visual stimuli. Drawing participant’s attention towards task-relevant stimuli—e.g., with task instructions using visual cues or explicit written information—is a common practice to support cognitive engagement during training and, hence, accelerate motor learning. However, there is little scientific evidence about how visually cued or written task instructions affect attentional brain networks during motor learning. In this experiment, we trained 36 healthy participants in a virtual motor task: surfing waves by steering a boat with a joystick. We measured the participants’ motor performance and observed attentional brain networks using alpha-band electroencephalographic (EEG) activity before and after training. Participants received one of the following task instructions during training: (1) No explicit task instructions and letting participants surf freely (implicit training; IMP); (2) Task instructions provided through explicit visual cues (explicit-implicit training; E-IMP); or (3) through explicit written commands (explicit training; E). We found that providing task instructions during training (E and E-IMP) resulted in less post-training motor variability—linked to enhanced performance—compared to training without instructions (IMP). After training, participants trained with visual cues (E-IMP) enhanced the alpha-band strength over parieto-occipital and frontal brain areas at wave onset. In contrast, participants who trained with explicit commands (E) showed decreased fronto-temporal alpha activity. Thus, providing task instructions in written (E) or using visual cues (E-IMP) leads to similar motor performance improvements by enhancing activation on different attentional networks. While training with visual cues (E-IMP) may be associated with visuo-attentional processes, verbal-analytical processes may be more prominent when written explicit commands are provided (E). Together, we suggest that training parameters such as task instructions, modulate the attentional networks observed during motor practice and may support participant’s cognitive engagement, compared to training without instructions.

Gamma frequencies as a predictor for the accomplishment of a motor task guided through the action observation network

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Toledo Felippe ◽  
Thaler Markus
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Action Observation ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Action Observation Network ◽  
Observation Network

BACKGROUND: Action observation describes a concept where the subsequent motor behavior of an individual can be modulated though observing an action. This occurs through the activation of neurons in the action observation network, acting on a variety of motor learning processes. This network has been proven highly useful in the rehabilitation of patients with acquired brain injury, placing “action observation” as one of the most effective techniques for motor recovery in physical neurorehabilitation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to define an EEG marker for motor learning, guided through observation. METHODS: Healthy subjects (n = 41) participated voluntarily for this research. They were asked to repeat an unknown motor behavior, immediately after observing a video. During the observation, EEG raw signals where collected with a portable EEG and the results were later compared with success and fail on repeating the motor procedure. The comparison was then analyzed with the Mann-Whitney U test for non-parametrical data, with a confidence interval of 95%. RESULTS: A significant relation between motor performance and neural activity was found for Alpha (p = 0,0149) and Gamma (0,0005) oscillatory patterns. CONCLUSION: Gamma oscillations with frequencies between 41 and 49,75 Hz, seem to be an adequate EEG marker for motor performance guided through the action observation network. The technology used for this paper is easy to use, low-cost and presents valid measurements for the recommended oscillatory frequencies, implying a possible use on rehabilitation, by collecting data in real-time during therapeutic interventions and assessments.

Influence of a psychological stressor on motor performance and motor learning of a fine motor task: a randomised controlled experiment

Physiotherapy ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
pp. e954
Author(s):  
D. Marquardt ◽  
M. Jongbloed-Pereboom ◽  
B. Staal ◽  
H.-J. Appell ◽  
A. Overvelde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Controlled Experiment ◽  
Fine Motor ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Psychological Stressor

Explicitness of Task Instructions Supports Motor Learning and Modulates Engagement of Attentional Brain Networks

2021 ◽  
pp. 551-556
Author(s):  
Joaquin Penalver-Andres ◽  
Karin A. Buetler ◽  
Thomas König ◽  
René M. Müri ◽  
Laura Marchal-Crespo
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Task Instructions

scholarly journals Music predictability and liking enhance pupil dilation and promote motor learning in non-musicians

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Bianco ◽  
B. P. Gold ◽  
A. P. Johnson ◽  
V. B. Penhune
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Pupil Dilation ◽  
Implicit Measure ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Similar Motor ◽  
Or Task

AbstractHumans can anticipate music and derive pleasure from it. Expectations facilitate the learning of movements associated with anticipated events, and they are also linked with reward, which may further facilitate learning of the anticipated rewarding events. The present study investigates the synergistic effects of predictability and hedonic responses to music on arousal and motor-learning in a naïve population. Novel melodies were manipulated in their overall predictability (predictable/unpredictable) as objectively defined by a model of music expectation, and ranked as high/medium/low liked based on participants’ self-reports collected during an initial listening session. During this session, we also recorded ocular pupil size as an implicit measure of listeners’ arousal. During the following motor task, participants learned to play target notes of the melodies on a keyboard (notes were of similar motor and musical complexity across melodies). Pupil dilation was greater for liked melodies, particularly when predictable. Motor performance was facilitated in predictable rather than unpredictable melodies, but liked melodies were learned even in the unpredictable condition. Low-liked melodies also showed learning but mostly in participants with higher scores of task perceived competence. Taken together, these results highlight  the effects of stimuli predictability on learning, which can be however overshadowed by the effects of stimulus liking or task-related intrinsic motivation.

scholarly journals Changes in intentional binding effect during a novel perceptual-motor task

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e6066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu Morioka ◽  
Kazuki Hayashida ◽  
Yuki Nishi ◽  
Sayaka Negi ◽  
Yuki Nishi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Moving Object ◽  
Voluntary Action ◽  
Intentional Binding ◽  
Binding Effect ◽  
Target Circle ◽  
Perceptual Motor Performance ◽  
Perceptual Motor Learning

Perceptual-motor learning describes the process of improving the smoothness and accuracy of movements. Intentional binding (IB) is a phenomenon whereby the length of time between performing a voluntary action and the production of a sensory outcome during perceptual-motor control is perceived as being shorter than the reality. How IB may change over the course of perceptual-motor learning, however, has not been explicitly investigated. Here, we developed a set of IB tasks during perceptual-motor learning. Participants were instructed to stop a circular moving object by key press when it reached the center of a target circle on the display screen. The distance between the center of the target circle and the center of the moving object was measured, and the error was used to approximate the perceptual-motor performance index. This task also included an additional exercise that was unrelated to the perceptual-motor task: after pressing the key, a sound was presented after a randomly chosen delay of 200, 500, or 700 ms and the participant had to estimate the delay interval. The difference between the estimated and actual delay was used as the IB value. A cluster analysis was then performed using the error values from the first and last task to group the participants based on their perceptual-motor performance. Participants showing a very small change in error value, and thus demonstrating a small effect of perceptual-motor learning, were classified into cluster 1. Those who exhibited a large decrease in error value from the first to the last set, and thus demonstrated a strong improvement in perceptual-motor performance, were classified into cluster 2. Those who exhibited perceptual-motor learning also showed improvements in the IB value. Our data suggest that IB is elevated when perceptual-motor learning occurs.

scholarly journals Music predictability and liking enhance pupil dilation and promote motor learning in non-musicians

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Bianco ◽  
B.P. Gold ◽  
A.P. Johnson ◽  
V.B. Penhune
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Pupil Dilation ◽  
Implicit Measure ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Similar Motor ◽  
Or Task

AbstractHumans can anticipate music and derive pleasure from it. Expectations facilitate movements associated with anticipated events, and they are linked with reward, which may also facilitate learning of the anticipated rewarding events. The present study investigates the synergistic effects of predictability and hedonic responses to music on arousal and motor-learning in a naïve population. Novel melodies were manipulated in their overall predictability (predictable/unpredictable) as objectively defined by a model of music expectation, and ranked as high/medium/low liked based on participants’ self-reports collected during an initial listening session. During this session, we also recorded ocular pupil size as an implicit measure of listeners’ arousal. During the following motor task, participants learned to play target notes of the melodies on a keyboard (notes were of similar motor and musical complexity across melodies). Pupil dilation was greater for liked melodies, particularly when predictable. Motor performance was facilitated in predictable more than unpredictable melodies, but liked melodies were learned even in the unpredictable condition. Low-liked melodies also showed learning but mostly in participants with higher scores of task perceived competence. Taken together, these results suggest that effects of predictability on learning can be overshadowed by effects of stimulus liking or task-related intrinsic motivation.

The Role of Visual and Auditory Communication in the Performance of a Joint Team Task

2021 ◽  
pp. 001872082110310
Author(s):  
Adam F. Werner ◽  
Jamie C. Gorman
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Ability ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Auditory Cues ◽  
Multiple Resource Theory ◽  
Coupling Mode ◽  
Multiple Resource ◽  
Auditory Cueing ◽  
Performance Trial

Objective This study examines visual, auditory, and the combination of both (bimodal) coupling modes in the performance of a two-person perceptual-motor task, in which one person provides the perceptual inputs and the other the motor inputs. Background Parking a plane or landing a helicopter on a mountain top requires one person to provide motor inputs while another person provides perceptual inputs. Perceptual inputs are communicated either visually, auditorily, or through both cues. Methods One participant drove a remote-controlled car around an obstacle and through a target, while another participant provided auditory, visual, or bimodal cues for steering and acceleration. Difficulty was manipulated using target size. Performance (trial time, path variability), cue rate, and spatial ability were measured. Results Visual coupling outperformed auditory coupling. Bimodal performance was best in the most difficult task condition but also high in the easiest condition. Cue rate predicted performance in all coupling modes. Drivers with lower spatial ability required a faster auditory cue rate, whereas drivers with higher ability performed best with a lower rate. Conclusion Visual cues result in better performance when only one coupling mode is available. As predicted by multiple resource theory, when both cues are available, performance depends more on auditory cueing. In particular, drivers must be able to transform auditory cues into spatial actions. Application Spotters should be trained to provide an appropriate cue rate to match the spatial ability of the driver or pilot. Auditory cues can enhance visual communication when the interpersonal task is visual with spatial outputs.

scholarly journals Strengthened Corticosubcortical Functional Connectivity during Muscle Fatigue

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiguo Jiang ◽  
Xiao-Feng Wang ◽  
Guang H. Yue
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Quantile Regression ◽  
Muscle Fatigue ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Voluntary Contraction ◽  
Control Network ◽  
Subcortical Structures

The present study examined functional connectivity (FC) between functional MRI (fMRI) signals of the primary motor cortex (M1) and each of the three subcortical neural structures, cerebellum (CB), basal ganglia (BG), and thalamus (TL), during muscle fatigue using the quantile regression technique. Understanding activation relation between the subcortical structures and the M1 during prolonged motor performance should help delineate how central motor control network modulates acute perturbations at peripheral sensorimotor system such as muscle fatigue. Ten healthy subjects participated in the study and completed a 20-minute intermittent handgrip motor task at 50% of their maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) level. Quantile regression analyses were carried out to compare the FC between the contralateral (left) M1 and CB, BG, and TL in the minimal (beginning 100 s) versus significant (ending 100 s) fatigue stages. Widespread, statistically significant increases in FC were found in bilateral BG, CB, and TL with the left M1 during significant versus minimal fatigue stages. Our results imply that these subcortical nuclei are critical components in the motor control network and actively involved in modulating voluntary muscle fatigue, possibly, by working together with the M1 to strengthen the descending central command to prolong the motor performance.

scholarly journals Neurophysiological changes in the visuomotor network after practicing a motor task

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 239-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Gehringer ◽  
David J. Arpin ◽  
Elizabeth Heinrichs-Graham ◽  
Tony W. Wilson ◽  
Max J. Kurz
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Motor Planning ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Force Production ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
Matching Task ◽  
Force Output ◽  
Motor Action ◽  
Visuomotor Transformations ◽  
Target Matching

Although it is well appreciated that practicing a motor task updates the associated internal model, it is still unknown how the cortical oscillations linked with the motor action change with practice. The present study investigates the short-term changes (e.g., fast motor learning) in the α- and β-event-related desynchronizations (ERD) associated with the production of a motor action. To this end, we used magnetoencephalography to identify changes in the α- and β-ERD in healthy adults after participants practiced a novel isometric ankle plantarflexion target-matching task. After practicing, the participants matched the targets faster and had improved accuracy, faster force production, and a reduced amount of variability in the force output when trying to match the target. Parallel with the behavioral results, the strength of the β-ERD across the motor-planning and execution stages was reduced after practice in the sensorimotor and occipital cortexes. No pre/postpractice changes were found in the α-ERD during motor planning or execution. Together, these outcomes suggest that fast motor learning is associated with a decrease in β-ERD power. The decreased strength likely reflects a more refined motor plan, a reduction in neural resources needed to perform the task, and/or an enhancement of the processes that are involved in the visuomotor transformations that occur before the onset of the motor action. These results may augment the development of neurologically based practice strategies and/or lead to new practice strategies that increase motor learning. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We aimed to determine the effects of practice on the movement-related cortical oscillatory activity. Following practice, we found that the performance of the ankle plantarflexion target-matching task improved and the power of the β-oscillations decreased in the sensorimotor and occipital cortexes. These novel findings capture the β-oscillatory activity changes in the sensorimotor and occipital cortexes that are coupled with behavioral changes to demonstrate the effects of motor learning.

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