Articles tagged with Motor Learning
Researchers at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience have identified a single neuron type that enables learning of motor timing. They found that blocking the rewiring machinery in specific neurons, called pyramidal tract neurons, stopped learning entirely, while blocking it in another type of neuron played a complementary r...
A new framework proposes 'movement span' as a third dimension of aging beyond life span and health span. Movement span is defined as the duration of life during which an individual can move with confidence, responsiveness, and adaptive control.
Researchers at Tohoku University found that stimulating the vagus nerve after training improves long-term learning in mice, suggesting a previously underappreciated mechanism behind vagus nerve stimulation. The study reveals that rhythmic changes in brain blood vessels play a key role in supporting long-term learning.
Researchers analyzed high-speed camera footage of skilled soccer players performing the scissors feint, revealing distinct movement characteristics that differ from less-skilled players. These include active distance regulation, strategic modulation of relative speed and efficient feint execution.
A new study from Northwestern University developed a customized video game to help chronic stroke survivors regain lost arm function. After six weeks of therapy, participants showed significant improvement in arm function and daily activities, with scores improving up to 7.8 times that of the control group.
A new study reveals that astrocytes actively participate in motor-learning circuit rewiring by eliminating synapses in the striatum. The research identifies MEGF10 as a key molecular mediator of this process, which is regulated by dopamine signaling and neural activity.
Researchers discovered cerebellar signals strengthen visual cues during learning, facilitating precise visuomotor associations. This finding highlights the cerebellum's crucial role in cognitive functions beyond motor control.
Research suggests that sleeping on a difficult task can improve performance by strengthening and consolidating memories in the brain. A new study found that rhythmic brain activity during sleep in areas active during training correlates with improved task performance after waking.
Researchers at The University of Osaka have identified the parvocellular red nucleus as a critical brain region involved in motor learning during reaching movements. This discovery has significant implications for developing new rehabilitation methods targeting precise brain regions to aid recovery in patients with motor impairments.
A study published in Communications Psychology reveals how the brain forms a sense of agency when learning new motor skills. Researchers used a data glove to control a cursor on screen, finding that motor exploration plays a crucial role in developing self-agency.
A team of researchers, led by Jean-Paul Noel, has discovered that the brain's motor area largely coincides with the onset of intention. The study used a brain-machine interface to separate intentions from actions in a paralyzed participant, revealing a compressed temporal binding between intention and action.
The ALL ALS Consortium has recruited over 300 participants across two studies, ASSESS and PREVENT, aiming to disrupt traditional ALS research by making data and samples available worldwide. The consortium seeks to discover new drug targets and approaches for effective treatments.
A new study from Duke University reveals that dopamine levels in the brains of baby birds increase with every effort they make while practicing their songs, regardless of success. This discovery has implications for understanding human learning and neurological disorders.
Parrots display automatic imitation of intransitive (goal-less) actions, a phenomenon previously documented only in humans. The study also suggests the presence of a mirror-neuron system in parrots, akin to that found in humans.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are studying the link between walking patterns and cognitive decline to improve early detection of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). The team hopes to unveil neural mechanisms underlying the relation between mobility and cognitive decline.
Researchers found that babies' first vocalizations and attempts at forming words coincide with fluctuations in their heart rate. This discovery may indicate that successful speech development depends on predictable ranges of autonomic activity during infancy.
A new study found that brain stimulation effectiveness is linked to individual learning abilities, not age. The study used atDCS on participants with optimal and suboptimal learning strategies, revealing accelerated accuracy improvement in suboptimal learners.
A new study published by Kessler Foundation reveals that short naps can significantly improve motor performance and brain activity associated with motor skill improvement in individuals recovering from traumatic brain injury. This research highlights the potential for incorporating napping protocols into rehabilitation programs to maxi...
Research finds that adults outperform children in learning new motor skills, with older individuals improving faster and retaining skills longer. Better sleep appears to benefit children's learning and memory more, but other factors like sleep deprivation may also play a role.
A research group at the University of Tsukuba discovered that the dorsal premotor cortex plays a crucial role in meta-learning for motor skills. The study found that stimulating this region impairs the meta-learning effect on memory forgetting, but not motor learning itself.
Studies show that the cerebellum is critical for forming stable memories for sensorimotor skills, largely independent of short-term memory systems. Researchers found that longer time intervals between trials increased reliance on impaired long-term memory.
Researchers developed an AI-driven approach to model complex hand movements, overcoming current limitations in neuroscience and biomedical engineering. The model achieved a 100% success rate in controlling virtual Baoding balls, showcasing its strength in various challenging situations.
Neuroscientists have discovered a global process across the brain that coordinates sensory input with motor action through learning. In trained mice, neurons link sensory evidence to action initiation, integrating information across multiple brain regions.
Researchers developed a motor meta-learning task to assess stroke patients' ability to recognize their learning capabilities and plan practice. The study found a significant correlation between meta-learning ability and improvement index, suggesting that enhanced individual meta-learning ability can improve rehabilitation efficacy.
A new study from University of Florida researchers found that quick learners rely on the visual cortex in their brains when acquiring new motor skills. The study used brain-monitoring electrodes to analyze how people learn to walk at different speeds, revealing a clear difference between fast and slow learners.
Researchers found that motor memories are influenced by cognitive processes, not just physical actions. The study used football penalty shootouts and robotic handle movements to demonstrate the brain's differentiation of actions based on decision uncertainty.
Researchers created a virtual rodent with an artificial brain that can move like a real rodent, simulating complex behaviors using biomechanical data from real rats. The model uses deep reinforcement learning and AI to predict neural activity across behaviors.
A study found that adult chimpanzees continue to learn and refine their tool-using skills well into adulthood, suggesting a prolonged learning capacity is key to the evolution of complex tool use in chimps and humans. Chimpanzees developed motor skills for handling sticks by age six, but continued to hone techniques until age 15.
A study by Tohoku University has found that synchronized vasomotion, which efficiently delivers oxygen and glucose, may improve learning abilities and potentially delay or prevent dementia. The research used a method to monitor blood vessel dynamics in the mouse brain and induced vasomotion via visual stimuli.
Researchers found that ketogenic diets reduced plasma levels of total Tau in females, mitigated elevations in plasma lipids, and improved circulating lipids. However, neither continuous nor intermittent ketogenic diets improved measures of cognitive or motor behavior in the TgF344-AD rat model.
Researchers at Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders discovered two neuronal populations in the spinal cord that enable learning and remembering movements. The dorsal neurons facilitate learning, while the ventral neurons ensure recall and performance.
Researchers at RIKEN Center for Brain Science discovered neural circuitry in the spinal cord that enables brain-independent motor learning and recall. The study found two critical groups of neurons: one necessary for new adaptive learning and another for recalling adaptations once learned.
Researchers discovered a class of cerebellar inputs, called climbing fibres, are essential for associative learning to occur. These
A new brain stimulation technique called Patterned Low-Intensity Low-Frequency Ultrasound (LILFUS) has been developed by researchers at the Institute for Basic Science. This non-invasive method uses ultrasound to induce long-lasting changes in brain function and has shown promise in treating various neurological disorders.
A new brain pathway has been discovered linking motivation, addiction, and disease, with the cerebellum playing a crucial role. The basal ganglia and cerebellum are traditionally thought to function independently, but this connection may change our understanding of voluntary movements and conditioned learning.
New research from the University of Copenhagen shows that physical exercise improves ability to learn and remember motor skills, such as riding a bike or driving a car. Exercise before or after practicing new skills can lead to up to 10% improvement in memory, with enhanced effects when done both times.
Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University found that visual-motor illusion (VMI) can improve motor performance and early-stage motor learning. Volunteers who used VMI showed greater improvements in task completion and persisted changes in brain activity, suggesting a potential new treatment strategy for hemiplegic stroke patients.
Researchers discovered that cerebellar nuclei make a surprising contribution to associative learning by strengthening connections with mossy fibers. Optogenetic experiments also showed that the nuclei can support well-timed learning. The study's findings have implications for understanding cerebellum function and potential treatments f...
Researchers from the Netherlands found that traditional swimming lessons in the country often discourage children from having fun in the pool. By adopting a teaching style based on self-determination theory, instructors can nurture autonomy, competence, and relatedness, leading to improved swimming skills and increased enjoyment. The s...
A recent study found that dopamine release makes decisions faster but tends to be less accurate. Researchers analyzed response times to understand the role of dopamine in decision-making processes, revealing a speed-accuracy trade-off.
A cluster of neurons in the fruit fly brain transforms memories about past rewards into actions, guiding the fly's navigation. The UpWiNs also send signals to dopaminergic neurons for higher-order learning, shedding light on parallel neural circuit mechanisms.
A University of Massachusetts Amherst kinesiologist is implementing a physical activity program for young children in preschools with low socioeconomic status. The pilot study aims to measure the impact on cognitive development and gross motor skills, with potential long-term implications for health disparities.
A new study published in Aging (Albany NY) suggests that prior training can rescue cognitive decline in aging by improving task performance and strengthening memory processes. The research, conducted on rats, found that prior training enhanced short-term and intermediate memory, while also enabling encoding-boosted long-term memory.
Scientists found that cooling or warming the striatum region slows down or speeds up activity patterns, which correlates with rats' timing judgements. This provides evidence for the 'population clock hypothesis', suggesting that brains use decentralized and flexible sense of time.
A new study found that inhaling 100% oxygen while learning a motor task improved learning efficiency in healthy people. The treatment also helped patients with neurological trauma recover old skills, suggesting potential benefits for neurorehabilitation.
Researchers at Columbia University have created a highly dexterous robot hand that combines advanced sensing technology with motor learning algorithms to achieve high dexterity. The hand can perform complex tasks such as rotating an unevenly shaped object without visual feedback, and even operates in dark environments.
Researchers studied brain activity in rats as they learned a fine motor task, discovering synchronous low-frequency oscillatory activity that coordinated neural spiking in the motor cortex and cerebellum. This activity may serve as a biomarker for skill learning and a target for electric stimulation to promote motor recovery after stroke.
A new optogenetic tool, OPN4-mGluR1, allows researchers to modulate mGluR1 signalling in the cerebellum using light. This enables the study of synaptic plasticity and its role in motor learning, offering new possibilities for understanding cerebellar-associated diseases.
Numerous studies prove that multimodal enrichment enhances learning outcomes through brain region activation and computer algorithms. Researchers hope this understanding will lead to optimal learning strategies in the future.
During sleep, brain regions synchronize to create motor memory by reviewing trials and errors of a given action. The study found that the
Researchers at OHSU discovered adenosine effectively acts as a brake to dopamine, promoting balance in neuronal signaling. This finding suggests new avenues for drug development to treat Parkinson's disease symptoms by targeting the push-pull dynamic between dopamine and adenosine.
CU Anschutz researchers found changes in myelination during learning, altering neuronal communication speed. These changes could lead to better treatment for neurological injuries and disorders like multiple sclerosis.
A team of researchers identified a protein kinase substrate downstream of the dopamine signaling pathway regulating brain reward behavior. The study found that phosphorylation of potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily Q member 2 (KCNQ2) decreases its channel activity, increasing neuronal excitability and promoting reward behavior.
A University of Ottawa research team has made new discoveries on how motor skills are learned and stored in the brain. By studying mice, they found that a specific transcription factor called NPAS4 regulates gene changes in inhibitory neurons, leading to the formation of learning-associated neuron ensembles.
Researchers at CU Anschutz Medical Campus have shown a direct connection between vagus nerve stimulation and learning centers in the brain. This discovery may lead to new treatments that can improve cognitive retention in both healthy and injured nervous systems.
The study reveals that top-down information from the higher-order motor cortex to the primary motor cortex is crucial for motor learning, while newly formed synapses in the thalamus store acquired motor memories. This challenge to the widely held view suggests a two-step process for motor skill learning.
Researchers found that transcranial brain stimulation can improve accuracy and speed in older adults, facilitating the emergence of efficient motor chunks. The study suggests that this non-invasive technique may restore motor skill acquisition in individuals with diminished learning mechanisms.
Researchers from the University of Tsukuba develop a model that combines multiple theories to simulate motor learning in humans. The study found that larger amounts of motor exploration aid in learning sensitivity derivatives and transforming errors into motor corrections.
Researchers at Simon Fraser University found that experiencing a balance-threatening physical consequence enhances motor learning and improves movement patterns for safer movement. This innovative approach could lead to effective therapies for individuals with neurological impairment.
Researchers propose a new method to study neural networks using intrinsic signal optical imaging (ISOI), which provides detailed maps of brain activity in living subjects. The study shows that ISOI can reveal cortical architecture at columnar resolution, offering a more accurate picture of brain network activity than existing methods.