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Gathy E, Cadiat N, Gerardin E, Lambert J, Herman B, Leeuwerck M, Bihin B, Vandermeeren Y. Bimanual coordinated motor skill learning in patients with a chronic cerebellar stroke. Exp Brain Res 2024; 242:1517-1531. [PMID: 38722346 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-024-06830-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Cerebellar strokes induce coordination disorders that can affect activities of daily living. Evidence-based neurorehabilitation programs are founded on motor learning principles. The cerebellum is a key neural structure in motor learning. It is unknown whether and how well chronic cerebellar stroke individuals (CCSIs) can learn to coordinate their upper limbs through bimanual motor skill learning. The aim was to determine whether CCSIs could achieve bimanual skill learning through a serious game with the REAplan® robot and to compare CCSIs with healthy individuals (HIs). Over three consecutive days, sixteen CCSIs and eighteen HIs were trained on an asymmetric bimanual coordination task ("CIRCUIT" game) with the REAplan® robot, allowing quantification of speed, accuracy and coordination. The primary outcomes were the bimanual speed/accuracy trade-off (BiSAT) and bimanual coordination factor (BiCo). They were also evaluated on a bimanual REACHING task on Days 1 and 3. Correlation analyses between the robotic outcomes and clinical scale scores were computed. Throughout the sessions, BiSAT and BiCo improved during the CIRCUIT task in both HIs and CCSIs. On Day 3, HIs and CCSIs showed generalization of BiSAT, BiCo and transferred to the REACHING task. There was no significant between-group difference in progression. Four CCSIs and two HIs were categorized as "poor learners" according to BiSAT and/or BiCo. Increasing age correlated with reduced BiSAT but not BiCo progression. Over three days of training, HIs and CCSIs improved, retained, generalized and transferred a coordinated bimanual skill. There was no between-group difference, suggesting plastic compensation in CCSIs. Clinical trial NCT04642599 approved the 24th of November 2020.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Gathy
- Stroke Unit, Motor Learning Lab, Neurology Department, CHU UCL Namur (Godinne)/UCLouvain, Yvoir, Belgium
- Louvain Bionics, UCLouvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
- NEUR Division, Institute of NeuroScience (IoNS), UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
- COSY Division, Institute of NeuroScience (IoNS), UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ninon Cadiat
- Stroke Unit, Motor Learning Lab, Neurology Department, CHU UCL Namur (Godinne)/UCLouvain, Yvoir, Belgium
| | - Eloïse Gerardin
- Stroke Unit, Motor Learning Lab, Neurology Department, CHU UCL Namur (Godinne)/UCLouvain, Yvoir, Belgium
- Louvain Bionics, UCLouvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
- NEUR Division, Institute of NeuroScience (IoNS), UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Julien Lambert
- COSY Division, Institute of NeuroScience (IoNS), UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Benoît Herman
- Louvain Bionics, UCLouvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
- Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering (iMMC), UCLouvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Mie Leeuwerck
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, CHU UCL Namur (Godinne)/UCLouvain, Yvoir, Belgium
| | - Benoît Bihin
- Scientific Support Unit (USS), CHU UCL Namur (Godinne)/UCLouvain, Yvoir, Belgium
| | - Yves Vandermeeren
- Stroke Unit, Motor Learning Lab, Neurology Department, CHU UCL Namur (Godinne)/UCLouvain, Yvoir, Belgium.
- Louvain Bionics, UCLouvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium.
- NEUR Division, Institute of NeuroScience (IoNS), UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium.
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2
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Liao WY, Opie GM, Ziemann U, Semmler JG. Modulation of dorsal premotor cortex differentially influences visuomotor adaptation in young and older adults. Neurobiol Aging 2024; 141:34-45. [PMID: 38815412 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2024.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
The communication between dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) and primary motor cortex (M1) is important for visuomotor adaptation, but it is unclear how this relationship changes with advancing age. The present study recruited 21 young and 23 older participants for two experimental sessions during which intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) or sham was applied over PMd. We assessed the effects of PMd iTBS on M1 excitability using motor evoked potentials (MEP) recorded from right first dorsal interosseous when single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied with posterior-anterior (PA) or anterior-posterior (AP) currents; and adaptation by quantifying error recorded during a visuomotor adaptation task (VAT). PMd iTBS potentiated PA (P < 0.0001) and AP (P < 0.0001) MEP amplitude in both young and older adults. PMd iTBS increased error in young adults during adaptation (P = 0.026), but had no effect in older adults (P = 0.388). Although PMd iTBS potentiated M1 excitability in both young and older adults, the intervention attenuated visuomotor adaptation specifically in young adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Yeh Liao
- Discipline of Physiology, School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
| | - George M Opie
- Discipline of Physiology, School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Ulf Ziemann
- Department of Neurology & Stroke, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - John G Semmler
- Discipline of Physiology, School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
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3
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Zhang S, Wilmut K, Zhang K, Wang S. Age-related changes in motor planning for prior intentions: a mouse tracking reach-to-click task. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1323798. [PMID: 38562237 PMCID: PMC10983849 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1323798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
When we complete sequential movements with different intentions, we plan our movements and adjust ahead. Such a phenomenon is called anticipatory planning for prior intentions and is known to decline with age. In daily life activities, we often need to consider and plan for multiple demands in one movement sequence. However, previous studies only considered one dimension of prior intentions, either different types of onward actions or different precisions of fit or placement. Therefore, in this study, we investigated anticipatory planning for both extrinsic (movement direction) and intrinsic (fit precision) target-related properties in a computer-based movement task and analyzed the computer cursor movement kinematics of both young and older adults. We found that older people consider and adjust for different properties step-by-step, with movement direction being considered as a prior intention during reach movement and fit precision as a motor constraint during drop movement. The age-related changes in the completion of onward actions are constrained by one's general cognitive ability, sensorimotor performance and effective motor planning for prior intentions. Age-related decline in motor planning can manifest as counterproductive movement profiles, resulting in suboptimal performance of intended actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shujing Zhang
- Global Health Research Center, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, China
- Division of Natural and Applied Sciences, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, China
| | - Kate Wilmut
- Department of Psychology, Health and Professional Development, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Kaiyu Zhang
- Department of Geriatrics, The First People's Hospital of Kunshan, Kunshan, China
| | - Shan Wang
- Global Health Research Center, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, China
- Division of Natural and Applied Sciences, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, China
- Department of Psychology, Health and Professional Development, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
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4
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Tsay JS, Asmerian H, Germine LT, Wilmer J, Ivry RB, Nakayama K. Large-scale citizen science reveals predictors of sensorimotor adaptation. Nat Hum Behav 2024; 8:510-525. [PMID: 38291127 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01798-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Sensorimotor adaptation is essential for keeping our movements well calibrated in response to changes in the body and environment. For over a century, researchers have studied sensorimotor adaptation in laboratory settings that typically involve small sample sizes. While this approach has proved useful for characterizing different learning processes, laboratory studies are not well suited for exploring the myriad of factors that may modulate human performance. Here, using a citizen science website, we collected over 2,000 sessions of data on a visuomotor rotation task. This unique dataset has allowed us to replicate, reconcile and challenge classic findings in the learning and memory literature, as well as discover unappreciated demographic constraints associated with implicit and explicit processes that support sensorimotor adaptation. More generally, this study exemplifies how a large-scale exploratory approach can complement traditional hypothesis-driven laboratory research in advancing sensorimotor neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan S Tsay
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Hrach Asmerian
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - Laura T Germine
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Jeremy Wilmer
- Department of Psychology, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, USA
| | - Richard B Ivry
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ken Nakayama
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
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Love K, Cao D, Chang JC, Dal'Bello LR, Ma X, O'Shea DJ, Schone HR, Shahbazi M, Smoulder A. Highlights from the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Society for the Neural Control of Movement. J Neurophysiol 2024; 131:75-87. [PMID: 38057264 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00428.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kassia Love
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Di Cao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Center for Movement Studies, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
| | - Joanna C Chang
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lucas R Dal'Bello
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Xuan Ma
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, United States
| | - Daniel J O'Shea
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States
| | - Hunter R Schone
- Rehabilitation and Neural Engineering Laboratory, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Mahdiyar Shahbazi
- Western Institute for Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Adam Smoulder
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
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6
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Rasman BG, van der Zalm C, Forbes PA. Age-related impairments and influence of visual feedback when learning to stand with unexpected sensorimotor delays. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1325012. [PMID: 38161590 PMCID: PMC10757376 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1325012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Background While standing upright, the brain must accurately accommodate for delays between sensory feedback and self-generated motor commands. Natural aging may limit adaptation to sensorimotor delays due to age-related decline in sensory acuity, neuromuscular capacity and cognitive function. This study examined balance learning in young and older adults as they stood with robot-induced sensorimotor delays. Methods A cohort of community dwelling young (mean = 23.6 years, N = 20) and older adults (mean = 70.1 years, N = 20) participated in this balance learning study. Participants stood on a robotic balance simulator which was used to artificially impose a 250 ms delay into their control of standing. Young and older adults practiced to balance with the imposed delay either with or without visual feedback (i.e., eyes open or closed), resulting in four training groups. We assessed their balance behavior and performance (i.e., variability in postural sway and ability to maintain upright posture) before, during and after training. We further evaluated whether training benefits gained in one visual condition transferred to the untrained condition. Results All participants, regardless of age or visual training condition, improved their balance performance through training to stand with the imposed delay. Compared to young adults, however, older adults had larger postural oscillations at all stages of the experiments, exhibited less relative learning to balance with the delay and had slower rates of balance improvement. Visual feedback was not required to learn to stand with the imposed delay, but it had a modest effect on the amount of time participants could remain upright. For all groups, balance improvements gained from training in one visual condition transferred to the untrained visual condition. Conclusion Our study reveals that while advanced age partially impairs balance learning, the older nervous system maintains the ability to recalibrate motor control to stand with initially destabilizing sensorimotor delays under differing visual feedback conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon G. Rasman
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Christian van der Zalm
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Patrick A. Forbes
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
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7
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Bansal A, 't Hart BM, Cauchan U, Eggert T, Straube A, Henriques DYP. Motor adaptation does not differ when a perturbation is introduced abruptly or gradually. Exp Brain Res 2023; 241:2577-2590. [PMID: 37690051 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-023-06699-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
People continuously adapt their movements to ever-changing circumstances, and particularly in skills training and rehabilitation, it is crucial that we understand how to optimize implicit adaptation in order for these processes to require as little conscious effort as possible. Although it is generally assumed that the way to do this is by introducing perturbations gradually, the literature is ambivalent on the effectiveness of this approach. Here, we tested whether there are differences in motor performance when adapting to an abrupt compared to a ramped visuomotor rotation. Using a within-subjects design, we tested this question under 3 different rotation sizes: 30-degrees, 45-degrees, and 60-degrees, as well as in 3 different populations: younger adults, older adults, and patients with mild cerebellar ataxia. We find no significant differences in either the behavioural outcomes, or model fits, between abrupt and gradual learning across any of the different conditions. Neither age, nor cerebellar ataxia had any significant effect on error-sensitivity either. These findings together indicate that error-sensitivity is not modulated by introducing a perturbation abruptly compared to gradually, and is also unaffected by age or mild cerebellar ataxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambika Bansal
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada
- School of Kinesiology and Health Science, Centre for Vision Research, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Bernard Marius 't Hart
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada.
| | - Udai Cauchan
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Thomas Eggert
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Fraunhoferstr. 20, 82152, Planegg, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Andreas Straube
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital LMU, Munich, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377, Munich, Germany
| | - Denise Y P Henriques
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada
- School of Kinesiology and Health Science, Centre for Vision Research, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada
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8
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Timar L, Job X, Orban de Xivry JJ, Kilteni K. Aging exerts a limited influence on the perception of self-generated and externally generated touch. J Neurophysiol 2023; 130:871-882. [PMID: 37609705 PMCID: PMC10642979 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00145.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Touch generated by our voluntary movements is attenuated both at the perceptual and neural levels compared with touch of the same intensity delivered to our body by another person or machine. This somatosensory attenuation phenomenon relies on the integration of somatosensory input and predictions about the somatosensory consequences of our actions. Previous studies have reported increased somatosensory attenuation in elderly people, proposing an overreliance on sensorimotor predictions to compensate for age-related declines in somatosensory perception; however, recent results have challenged this direct relationship. In a preregistered study, we used a force-discrimination task to assess whether aging increases somatosensory attenuation and whether this increase is explained by decreased somatosensory precision in elderly individuals. Although 94% of our sample (n = 108, 21-77 yr old) perceived their self-generated touches as weaker than externally generated touches of identical intensity (somatosensory attenuation) regardless of age, we did not find a significant increase in somatosensory attenuation in our elderly participants (65-77 yr old), but a trend when considering only the oldest subset (69-77 yr old). Moreover, we did not observe a significant age-related decline in somatosensory precision or a significant relationship of age with somatosensory attenuation. Together, our results suggest that aging exerts a limited influence on the perception of self-generated and externally generated touch and indicate a less direct relationship between somatosensory precision and attenuation in the elderly individuals than previously proposed.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Self-generated touch is attenuated compared with externally generated touch of identical intensity. This somatosensory attenuation has been previously shown to be increased in elderly participants, but it remains unclear whether it is related to age-related somatosensory decline. In our preregistered study, we observed a trend for increased somatosensory attenuation in our oldest participants (≥69 yr), but we found no evidence of an age-related decline in somatosensory function or a relationship of age with somatosensory attenuation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Timar
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Xavier Job
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jean-Jacques Orban de Xivry
- Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Konstantina Kilteni
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Ruitenberg MFL, Koppelmans V, Seidler RD, Schomaker J. Developmental and age differences in visuomotor adaptation across the lifespan. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2023; 87:1710-1717. [PMID: 36617621 PMCID: PMC10366290 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-022-01784-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In the present cross-sectional study, we examined age and sex differences in sensorimotor adaptation. We tested 253 individuals at a local science museum (NEMO Science Museum, Amsterdam). Participants spanned a wide age range (8-70 years old; 54% male), allowing us to examine effects of both development and healthy aging within a single study. Participants performed a visuomotor adaptation task in which they had to adapt manual joystick movements to rotated visual feedback. We assessed the rate of adaptation following the introduction of the visual perturbation (both for early and later stages of adaptation), and the rate of de-adaptation following its removal. Results showed reliable adaptation patterns which did not differ by sex. We observed a quadratic relationship between age and both early adaptation and de-adaptation rates, with younger and older adults exhibiting the fasted adaptation rates. Our findings suggest that both younger and older age are associated with poorer strategic, cognitive processes involved in adaptation. We propose that developmental and age differences in cognitive functions and brain properties may underlie these effects on sensorimotor functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marit F L Ruitenberg
- Department of Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Pieter de La Court Building, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands.
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | | | - Rachael D Seidler
- Department of Applied Physiology & Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Judith Schomaker
- Department of Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Pieter de La Court Building, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
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10
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Li N, Liu J, Xie Y, Ji W, Chen Z. Age-related decline of online visuomotor adaptation: a combined effect of deteriorations of motor anticipation and execution. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1147079. [PMID: 37409009 PMCID: PMC10318141 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1147079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The literature has established that the capability of visuomotor adaptation decreases with aging. However, the underlying mechanisms of this decline are yet to be fully understood. The current study addressed this issue by examining how aging affected visuomotor adaptation in a continuous manual tracking task with delayed visual feedback. To distinguish separate contributions of the declined capability of motor anticipation and deterioration of motor execution to this age-related decline, we recorded and analyzed participants' manual tracking performances and their eye movements during tracking. Twenty-nine older people and twenty-three young adults (control group) participated in this experiment. The results showed that the age-related decline of visuomotor adaptation was strongly linked to degraded performance in predictive pursuit eye movement, indicating that declined capability motor anticipation with aging had critical influences on the age-related decline of visuomotor adaptation. Additionally, deterioration of motor execution, measured by random error after controlling for the lag between target and cursor, was found to have an independent contribution to the decline of visuomotor adaptation. Taking these findings together, we see a picture that the age-related decline of visuomotor adaptation is a joint effect of the declined capability of motor anticipation and the deterioration of motor execution with aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Li
- Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Affiliated Mental Health Center, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Junsheng Liu
- Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Affiliated Mental Health Center, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yong Xie
- Key Laboratory of Space Active Opto-Electronics Technology, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Weidong Ji
- Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhongting Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Affiliated Mental Health Center, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
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Tagliabue CF, Varesio G, Assecondi S, Vescovi M, Mazza V. Age-related effects on online and offline learning in visuo-spatial working memory. NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT, AND COGNITION. SECTION B, AGING, NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2023; 30:486-503. [PMID: 35313784 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2022.2054926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Learning results from online (within-session) and offline (between-sessions) changes. Heterogeneity of age-related effects in learning may be ascribed to aging differentially affecting these two processes. We investigated the contribution of online and offline consolidation in visuo-spatial working memory (vWM). Younger and older participants performed a vWM task on day one and after nine days, allowing us to disentangle online and offline learning effects. To test whether offline consolidation needs continuous practice, two additional groups of younger and older adults performed the same vWM task in between the two assessments. Similarly to other cognitive domains, older adults improved vWM through online (during session one) but not through offline learning. Practice was necessary to improve vWM between sessions in older participants. Younger adults instead exhibited only offline improvement, regardless of practice. The findings suggest that while online learning remains efficient in aging, practice is instead required to support more fragile offline mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Greta Varesio
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (Cimec), University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Sara Assecondi
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (Cimec), University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Massimo Vescovi
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (Cimec), University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Veronica Mazza
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (Cimec), University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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12
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Brand MT, de Oliveira RF. Perceptual-motor recalibration is intact in older adults. Hum Mov Sci 2023; 87:103047. [PMID: 36512918 DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2022.103047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
From an ecological perspective, perceptual-motor recalibration should be a robust and adaptable process, but there are suggestions that older adults may recalibrate slower. Therefore, this study investigated the age-related temporal effects in perceptual-motor recalibration after motor disturbances. In three experiments, we disturbed young and older adults' perception-action by fitting weights around their ankles and asking them to climb stairs or cross obstacles repeatedly. In Experiment 1, participants (n = 26) climbed stairs with different ankle weights. An innovative methodology was applied, identifying the timeline of recalibration as the point where a stable movement pattern emerged. Experiment 1 showed that older adults recalibrated slower than young adults in lighter (but not heavier) weight conditions. In Experiment 2, participants (n = 24) crossed obstacles with different ankle weights. Results showed that older adults recalibrated faster than young adults. Finally, in Experiment 3, participants (n = 24) crossed obstacles of unpredictable and varying heights with heavy ankle weights. Again, results showed that older adults recalibrated faster than young adults. Taken together these results show that although older adults had reduced muscle strength and flexibility, they recalibrated quickly, especially when the task was more challenging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milou T Brand
- Sport and Exercise Science Research Centre, School of Applied Sciences, London South Bank University, United Kingdom
| | - Rita F de Oliveira
- Sport and Exercise Science Research Centre, School of Applied Sciences, London South Bank University, United Kingdom.
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13
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Swart SB, den Otter AR, Lamoth CJC. Natural ageing primarily affects the initial response to a sustained walking perturbation but not the ability to adapt over time. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1065974. [PMID: 36909231 PMCID: PMC9995672 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1065974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to flexibly respond and adapt the walking pattern over time to unexpected gait perturbations is pivotal for safe and efficient locomotion. However, these abilities might be affected by age due to age-related changes in sensorimotor functioning. In this cross-sectional lifespan study, we used a split-belt paradigm to determine how age affects the initial response (i.e., flexibility)-and the ability to adapt after prolonged exposure-to a sustained gait perturbation. Healthy adults (N = 75) of different ages (12-13 per decade) were included and walked on a split-belt treadmill, in which a sustained gait perturbation was imposed by increasing one of the belt speeds. Linear regression models, with the evoked spatiotemporal gait asymmetry during the early perturbation and late adaptation, were performed to determine the effects of age on the flexibility and adaptability to split-belt walking. Results showed that the flexibility to respond to an unexpected perturbation decreased across the lifespan, as evidenced by a greater step length asymmetry (SLA) during the early perturbation phase. Despite this reduced flexibility in step lengths, late adaptation levels in SLA were comparable across different ages. With increasing age, however, subjects needed more steps to reach a stable level in SLA. Finally, when the belts were set to symmetrical speeds again, the magnitude of SLA (i.e., the aftereffects) increased with age. Collectively, these findings suggest that natural ageing comes with a decrease in gait flexibility, while the ability to adapt to split-belt walking was not affected by age-only how adaptation was achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- S B Swart
- Department of Human Movement Sciences, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - A R den Otter
- Department of Human Movement Sciences, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - C J C Lamoth
- Department of Human Movement Sciences, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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14
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Healy CM, Berniker M, Ahmed AA. Learning vs. minding: How subjective costs can mask motor learning. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0282693. [PMID: 36928111 PMCID: PMC10019678 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
When learning new movements some people make larger kinematic errors than others, interpreted as a reduction in motor-learning ability. Consider a learning task where error-cancelling strategies incur higher effort costs, specifically where subjects reach to targets in a force field. Concluding that those with greater error have learned less has a critical assumption: everyone uses the same error-canceling strategy. Alternatively, it could be that those with greater error may be choosing to sacrifice error reduction in favor of a lower effort movement. Here, we test this hypothesis in a dataset that includes both younger and older adults, where older adults exhibited greater kinematic errors. Utilizing the framework of optimal control theory, we infer subjective costs (i.e., strategies) and internal model accuracy (i.e., proportion of the novel dynamics learned) by fitting a model to each population's trajectory data. Our results demonstrate trajectories are defined by a combination of the amount learned and strategic differences represented by relative cost weights. Based on the model fits, younger adults could have learned between 65-90% of the novel dynamics. Critically, older adults could have learned between 60-85%. Each model fit produces trajectories that match the experimentally observed data, where a lower proportion learned in the model is compensated for by increasing costs on kinematic errors relative to effort. This suggests older and younger adults could be learning to the same extent, but older adults have a higher relative cost on effort compared to younger adults. These results call into question the proposition that older adults learn less than younger adults and provide a potential explanation for the equivocal findings in the literature. Importantly, our findings suggest that the metrics commonly used to probe motor learning paint an incomplete picture, and that to accurately quantify the learning process the subjective costs of movements should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chadwick M. Healy
- Departments of Integrative Physiology and Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
- Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Max Berniker
- Advanced Product Development, Intuitive Surgical Inc. Sunnyvale, California, United States of America
| | - Alaa A. Ahmed
- Departments of Integrative Physiology and Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
- Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
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15
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Wang P, Lingo VanGilder J, Schweighofer N, Schaefer SY. Rey-Osterrieth complex figure recall scores and motor skill learning in older adults: A non-linear mixed effect model-based analysis. Hum Mov Sci 2022; 86:103004. [DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2022.103004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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16
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Tsay JS, Najafi T, Schuck L, Wang T, Ivry RB. Implicit sensorimotor adaptation is preserved in Parkinson's disease. Brain Commun 2022; 4:fcac303. [PMID: 36531745 PMCID: PMC9750131 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Our ability to enact successful goal-directed actions involves multiple learning processes. Among these processes, implicit motor adaptation ensures that the sensorimotor system remains finely tuned in response to changes in the body and environment. Whether Parkinson's disease impacts implicit motor adaptation remains a contentious area of research: whereas multiple reports show impaired performance in this population, many others show intact performance. While there is a range of methodological differences across studies, one critical issue is that performance in many of the studies may reflect a combination of implicit adaptation and strategic re-aiming. Here, we revisited this controversy using a visuomotor task designed to isolate implicit adaptation. In two experiments, we found that adaptation in response to a wide range of visual perturbations was similar in Parkinson's disease and matched control participants. Moreover, in a meta-analysis of previously published and unpublished work, we found that the mean effect size contrasting Parkinson's disease and controls across 16 experiments involving over 200 participants was not significant. Together, these analyses indicate that implicit adaptation is preserved in Parkinson's disease, offering a fresh perspective on the role of the basal ganglia in sensorimotor learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan S Tsay
- Correspondence to: Jonathan S. Tsay 2121 Berkeley Way West Berkeley, CA 94704, USA E-mail:
| | | | - Lauren Schuck
- Department of Psychology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
| | - Tianhe Wang
- Department of Psychology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
| | - Richard B Ivry
- Department of Psychology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
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17
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Laurentius T, Quandel J, Bollheimer LC, Leonhardt S, Ngo C, Lüken M. Spatiotemporal gait parameters in young individuals wearing an age simulation suit compared to healthy older individuals. Eur Rev Aging Phys Act 2022; 19:29. [PMID: 36401173 PMCID: PMC9673199 DOI: 10.1186/s11556-022-00298-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Aging is accompanied by changes in muscle mass, strength and loss of sensory, visual and auditive functions. However, these changes do not occur linearly, most spatiotemporal gait parameters change with aging. Age simulation suits have been invented to give young people an impression of the implications of being older and may be a useful tool in the scientific setting for gerontology research to validate any study concept before it becomes a pilot study. The rationale behind this study was to investigate the effects of an age simulation suit on gait parameters in young healthy adults and to compare the altered gait with healthy older, community-dwelling citizens. METHODS Subjects were 14 healthy young adults (6 female) and 8 healthy older (4 female) individuals with a mean (± SD) age of 24.8 ± 3.4 years and 72 ± 1.9 years, respectively. After initial baseline measurements had been taken and a familiarization phase, the younger subjects walked for 15 min without and 15 min with an age simulation suit on an instrumented treadmill. The older subjects walked once for 15 min on the same treadmill without wearing an age simulation suit. The walking speed was self-selected for all subjects. RESULTS The age simulation suit reduced the walking speed from 4.1 ± 0.7 km/h to 3.3 ± 0.5 km/h (p < 0.001) in young adults with no differences compared to older adults (2.9 ± 0.6 km/h, p = 0.9). Step width increased from 8.7 ± 2.2 cm to 12.1 ± 2.2 cm (p < 0.001) and did not differ from older participants (11.1 ± 4.3 cm, p = 0.37). The stride length was reduced (132.6 ± 5.9 cm vs 118.1 +-6.6 cm, p < 0.001), but still did not match the old control group (94.5 ± 5.6 cm, p < 0.05). Wearing the suit increased thestride time of young subjects (from 1,152 to 1,316 ms, p < 0.001) and was different compared to the older control group (1,172 ms, p = 0.53). The coefficient of variation (COV) of spatiotemporal parameters did not differ between young (both not wearing the suit and wearing the suit) and older subjects. The standard deviation of lateral symmetry, an in-house marker from the instrumented treadmill that serves as a marker of gait variability, differed between young subjects without the suit and older subjects (5.89 ± 1.9 mm vs 14.6 ± 5.7 mm, p < 0.001) but not between young subjects wearing the suit and older subjects (16.4 ± 7.4 mm vs 14.6 ± 5.7 mm, p = 0.53). CONCLUSION Wearing an age simulation suit while walking on a treadmill with a self-selected walking speed alters some, but not all, measured spatiotemporal parameters to approximate a gait pattern similar to that of an older individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thea Laurentius
- grid.412301.50000 0000 8653 1507Department of Geriatric Medicine, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Johannes Quandel
- grid.412301.50000 0000 8653 1507Department of Geriatric Medicine, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Leo Cornelius Bollheimer
- grid.412301.50000 0000 8653 1507Department of Geriatric Medicine, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Steffen Leonhardt
- grid.1957.a0000 0001 0728 696XMedical Information Technology (MedIT), RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Chuong Ngo
- grid.1957.a0000 0001 0728 696XMedical Information Technology (MedIT), RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Markus Lüken
- grid.1957.a0000 0001 0728 696XMedical Information Technology (MedIT), RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
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18
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Avraham G, Taylor JA, Breska A, Ivry RB, McDougle SD. Contextual effects in sensorimotor adaptation adhere to associative learning rules. eLife 2022; 11:e75801. [PMID: 36197002 PMCID: PMC9635873 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Traditional associative learning tasks focus on the formation of associations between salient events and arbitrary stimuli that predict those events. This is exemplified in cerebellar-dependent delay eyeblink conditioning, where arbitrary cues such as a tone or light act as conditioned stimuli (CSs) that predict aversive sensations at the cornea (unconditioned stimulus [US]). Here, we ask if a similar framework could be applied to another type of cerebellar-dependent sensorimotor learning - sensorimotor adaptation. Models of sensorimotor adaptation posit that the introduction of an environmental perturbation results in an error signal that is used to update an internal model of a sensorimotor map for motor planning. Here, we take a step toward an integrative account of these two forms of cerebellar-dependent learning, examining the relevance of core concepts from associative learning for sensorimotor adaptation. Using a visuomotor adaptation reaching task, we paired movement-related feedback (US) with neutral auditory or visual contextual cues that served as CSs. Trial-by-trial changes in feedforward movement kinematics exhibited three key signatures of associative learning: differential conditioning, sensitivity to the CS-US interval, and compound conditioning. Moreover, after compound conditioning, a robust negative correlation was observed between responses to the two elemental CSs of the compound (i.e. overshadowing), consistent with the additivity principle posited by theories of associative learning. The existence of associative learning effects in sensorimotor adaptation provides a proof-of-concept for linking cerebellar-dependent learning paradigms within a common theoretical framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy Avraham
- Department of Psychology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Jordan A Taylor
- Department of Psychology, Princeton UniversityPrincetonUnited States
| | - Assaf Breska
- Department of Psychology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Max Planck Institute for Biological CyberneticsTübingenGermany
| | - Richard B Ivry
- Department of Psychology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
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19
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Moulton RH, Rudie K, Dukelow SP, Scott SH. Quantitatively assessing aging effects in rapid motor behaviours: a cross-sectional study. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2022; 19:82. [PMID: 35883179 PMCID: PMC9327262 DOI: 10.1186/s12984-022-01035-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND An individual's rapid motor skills allow them to perform many daily activities and are a hallmark of physical health. Although age and sex are both known to affect motor performance, standardized methods for assessing their impact on upper limb function are limited. METHODS Here we perform a cross-sectional study of 643 healthy human participants in two interactive motor tasks developed to quantify sensorimotor abilities, Object-Hit (OH) and Object-Hit-and-Avoid (OHA). The tasks required participants to hit virtual objects with and without the presence of distractor objects. Velocities and positions of hands and objects were recorded by a robotic exoskeleton, allowing a variety of parameters to be calculated for each trial. We verified that these tasks are viable for measuring performance in healthy humans and we examined whether any of our recorded parameters were related to age or sex. RESULTS Our analysis shows that both OH and OHA can assess rapid motor behaviours in healthy human participants. It also shows that while some parameters in these tasks decline with age, those most associated with the motor system do not. Three parameters show significant sex-related effects in OH, but these effects disappear in OHA. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that the underlying effect of aging on rapid motor behaviours is not on the capabilities of the motor system, but on the brain's capacity for processing inputs into motor actions. Additionally, this study provides a baseline description of healthy human performance in OH and OHA when using these tasks to investigate age-related declines in sensorimotor ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Hugh Moulton
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
| | - Karen Rudie
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
- School of Computing, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
- Ingenuity Labs Research Institute, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Sean P Dukelow
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Stephen H Scott
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
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20
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Mooney RA, Ni Z, Shirota Y, Chen R, Ugawa Y, Celnik PA. Age-related strengthening of cerebello-cortical motor circuits. Neurobiol Aging 2022; 118:9-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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21
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Using EEG to study sensorimotor adaptation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 134:104520. [PMID: 35016897 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.104520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Sensorimotor adaptation, or the capacity to flexibly adapt movements to changes in the body or the environment, is crucial to our ability to move efficiently in a dynamic world. The field of sensorimotor adaptation is replete with rigorous behavioural and computational methods, which support strong conceptual frameworks. An increasing number of studies have combined these methods with electroencephalography (EEG) to unveil insights into the neural mechanisms of adaptation. We review these studies: discussing EEG markers of adaptation in the frequency and the temporal domain, EEG predictors for successful adaptation and how EEG can be used to unmask latent processes resulting from adaptation, such as the modulation of spatial attention. With its high temporal resolution, EEG can be further exploited to deepen our understanding of sensorimotor adaptation.
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22
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Therrien AS, Wong AL. Mechanisms of Human Motor Learning Do Not Function Independently. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 15:785992. [PMID: 35058767 PMCID: PMC8764186 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.785992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Human motor learning is governed by a suite of interacting mechanisms each one of which modifies behavior in distinct ways and rely on different neural circuits. In recent years, much attention has been given to one type of motor learning, called motor adaptation. Here, the field has generally focused on the interactions of three mechanisms: sensory prediction error SPE-driven, explicit (strategy-based), and reinforcement learning. Studies of these mechanisms have largely treated them as modular, aiming to model how the outputs of each are combined in the production of overt behavior. However, when examined closely the results of some studies also suggest the existence of additional interactions between the sub-components of each learning mechanism. In this perspective, we propose that these sub-component interactions represent a critical means through which different motor learning mechanisms are combined to produce movement; understanding such interactions is critical to advancing our knowledge of how humans learn new behaviors. We review current literature studying interactions between SPE-driven, explicit, and reinforcement mechanisms of motor learning. We then present evidence of sub-component interactions between SPE-driven and reinforcement learning as well as between SPE-driven and explicit learning from studies of people with cerebellar degeneration. Finally, we discuss the implications of interactions between learning mechanism sub-components for future research in human motor learning.
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23
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Fleury L, Panico F, Foncelle A, Revol P, Delporte L, Jacquin-Courtois S, Collet C, Rossetti Y. Does anodal cerebellar tDCS boost transfer of after-effects from throwing to pointing during prism adaptation? Front Psychol 2022; 13:909565. [PMID: 36237677 PMCID: PMC9552335 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.909565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Prism Adaptation (PA) is a useful method to study the mechanisms of sensorimotor adaptation. After-effects following adaptation to the prismatic deviation constitute the probe that adaptive mechanisms occurred, and current evidence suggests an involvement of the cerebellum at this level. Whether after-effects are transferable to another task is of great interest both for understanding the nature of sensorimotor transformations and for clinical purposes. However, the processes of transfer and their underlying neural substrates remain poorly understood. Transfer from throwing to pointing is known to occur only in individuals who had previously reached a good level of expertise in throwing (e.g., dart players), not in novices. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether anodal stimulation of the cerebellum could boost after-effects transfer from throwing to pointing in novice participants. Healthy participants received anodal or sham transcranial direction current stimulation (tDCS) of the right cerebellum during a PA procedure involving a throwing task and were tested for transfer on a pointing task. Terminal errors and kinematic parameters were in the dependent variables for statistical analyses. Results showed that active stimulation had no significant beneficial effects on error reduction or throwing after-effects. Moreover, the overall magnitude of transfer to pointing did not change. Interestingly, we found a significant effect of the stimulation on the longitudinal evolution of pointing errors and on pointing kinematic parameters during transfer assessment. These results provide new insights on the implication of the cerebellum in transfer and on the possibility to use anodal tDCS to enhance cerebellar contribution during PA in further investigations. From a network approach, we suggest that cerebellum is part of a more complex circuitry responsible for the development of transfer which is likely embracing the primary motor cortex due to its role in motor memories consolidation. This paves the way for further work entailing multiple-sites stimulation to explore the role of M1-cerebellum dynamic interplay in transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Fleury
- INSERM UMR-S, CNRS UMS, Trajectoires Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Bron, France
- Defitech Chair for Clinical Neuroengineering, Center for Neuroprosthetics (CNP) and Brain Mind Institute (BMI), École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Valais, Sion, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Lisa Fleury,
| | - Francesco Panico
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
| | - Alexandre Foncelle
- INSERM UMR-S, CNRS UMS, Trajectoires Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Bron, France
- “Mouvement et Handicap” Platform, Neurological Hospital, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Patrice Revol
- INSERM UMR-S, CNRS UMS, Trajectoires Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Bron, France
- “Mouvement et Handicap” Platform, Neurological Hospital, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Ludovic Delporte
- INSERM UMR-S, CNRS UMS, Trajectoires Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Bron, France
- “Mouvement et Handicap” Platform, Neurological Hospital, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Sophie Jacquin-Courtois
- INSERM UMR-S, CNRS UMS, Trajectoires Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Bron, France
- “Mouvement et Handicap” Platform, Neurological Hospital, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Christian Collet
- Inter-University Laboratory of Human Movement Biology, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Yves Rossetti
- INSERM UMR-S, CNRS UMS, Trajectoires Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Bron, France
- “Mouvement et Handicap” Platform, Neurological Hospital, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Bron, France
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24
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de Brouwer AJ, Areshenkoff CN, Rashid MR, Flanagan JR, Poppenk J, Gallivan JP. Human Variation in Error-Based and Reinforcement Motor Learning Is Associated With Entorhinal Volume. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:3423-3440. [PMID: 34963128 PMCID: PMC9376876 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Error-based and reward-based processes are critical for motor learning and are thought to be mediated via distinct neural pathways. However, recent behavioral work in humans suggests that both learning processes can be bolstered by the use of cognitive strategies, which may mediate individual differences in motor learning ability. It has been speculated that medial temporal lobe regions, which have been shown to support motor sequence learning, also support the use of cognitive strategies in error-based and reinforcement motor learning. However, direct evidence in support of this idea remains sparse. Here we first show that better overall learning during error-based visuomotor adaptation is associated with better overall learning during the reward-based shaping of reaching movements. Given the cognitive contribution to learning in both of these tasks, these results support the notion that strategic processes, associated with better performance, drive intersubject variation in both error-based and reinforcement motor learning. Furthermore, we show that entorhinal cortex volume is larger in better learning individuals-characterized across both motor learning tasks-compared with their poorer learning counterparts. These results suggest that individual differences in learning performance during error and reinforcement learning are related to neuroanatomical differences in entorhinal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anouk J de Brouwer
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Corson N Areshenkoff
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada,Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Mohammad R Rashid
- School of Computing, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - J Randall Flanagan
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada,Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Jordan Poppenk
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada,Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada,School of Computing, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Jason P Gallivan
- Address correspondence to Jason P. Gallivan, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada.
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25
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McDougle SD, Wilterson SA, Turk-Browne NB, Taylor JA. Revisiting the Role of the Medial Temporal Lobe in Motor Learning. J Cogn Neurosci 2021; 34:532-549. [PMID: 34942649 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Classic taxonomies of memory distinguish explicit and implicit memory systems, placing motor skills squarely in the latter branch. This assertion is in part a consequence of foundational discoveries showing significant motor learning in amnesics. Those findings suggest that declarative memory processes in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) do not contribute to motor learning. Here, we revisit this issue, testing an individual (L. S. J.) with severe MTL damage on four motor learning tasks and comparing her performance to age-matched controls. Consistent with previous findings in amnesics, we observed that L. S. J. could improve motor performance despite having significantly impaired declarative memory. However, she tended to perform poorly relative to age-matched controls, with deficits apparently related to flexible action selection. Further supporting an action selection deficit, L. S. J. fully failed to learn a task that required the acquisition of arbitrary action-outcome associations. We thus propose a modest revision to the classic taxonomic model: Although MTL-dependent memory processes are not necessary for some motor learning to occur, they play a significant role in the acquisition, implementation, and retrieval of action selection strategies. These findings have implications for our understanding of the neural correlates of motor learning, the psychological mechanisms of skill, and the theory of multiple memory systems.
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26
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Parthasharathy M, Mantini D, Orban de Xivry JJ. Increased upper-limb sensory attenuation with age. J Neurophysiol 2021; 127:474-492. [PMID: 34936521 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00558.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The pressure of our own finger on the arm feels differently than the same pressure exerted by an external agent: the latter involves just touch, whereas the former involves a combination of touch and predictive output from the internal model of the body. This internal model predicts the movement of our own finger and hence the intensity of the sensation of the finger press is decreased. A decrease in intensity of the self-produced stimulus is called sensory attenuation. It has been reported that, due to decreased proprioception with age and an increased reliance on the prediction of the internal model, sensory attenuation is increased in older adults. In this study, we used a force-matching paradigm to test if sensory attenuation is also present over the arm and if aging increases sensory attenuation. We demonstrated that, while both young and older adults overestimate a self-produced force, older adults overestimate it even more showing an increased sensory attenuation. In addition, we also found that both younger and older adults self-produce higher forces when activating the homologous muscles of the upper limb. While this is traditionally viewed as evidence for an increased reliance on internal model function in older adults because of decreased proprioception, proprioception appeared unimpaired in our older participants. This begs the question of whether an age-related decrease in proprioception is really responsible for the increased sensory attenuation observed in older people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manasa Parthasharathy
- Motor Control and Neuroplasticity Research group, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dante Mantini
- Motor Control and Neuroplasticity Research group, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Brain Imaging and Neural Dynamics Research Group, IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Venice, Italy
| | - Jean-Jacques Orban de Xivry
- Motor Control and Neuroplasticity Research group, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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27
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Li N, Chen G, Xie Y, Chen Z. Aging Effect on Visuomotor Adaptation: Mediated by Cognitive Decline. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:742928. [PMID: 34776929 PMCID: PMC8580951 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.742928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The question of whether and how aging affects humans’ visuomotor adaptation remains controversial. This study investigates how the effect of aging on visuomotor adaptation is related to age-related cognitive declines. We compared the performance of 100 older people (age: 55–82 years) and 20 young adults (age: 18–27 years) on a visuomotor adaptation task and three cognition tasks. A decline in visuomotor adaptation of older people was well observed. However, this decline was not strongly correlated with chronological age increase but was associated to the age-related declines of cognitive functions and speed of motor planning. We then constructed a structural mediation model in which the declined cognitive resources mediated the effect of age increase on the decline in visuomotor adaptation. The data from the present study was well-explained by the mediation model. These findings indicate that the aging effect on visuomotor adaptation mainly reflects the age-related decline of cognitive functions, which results in insufficient explicit processing on visual perturbation during visuomotor control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Affiliated Mental Health Center, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guopeng Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Affiliated Mental Health Center, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yong Xie
- Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhongting Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Affiliated Mental Health Center, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
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28
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Petitet P, Spitz G, Emir UE, Johansen-Berg H, O'Shea J. Age-related decline in cortical inhibitory tone strengthens motor memory. Neuroimage 2021; 245:118681. [PMID: 34728243 PMCID: PMC8752967 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Ageing disrupts the finely tuned excitation/inhibition balance (E:I) across cortex via a natural decline in inhibitory tone (γ-amino butyric acid, GABA), causing functional decrements. However, in young adults, experimentally lowering GABA in sensorimotor cortex enhances a specific domain of sensorimotor function: adaptation memory. Here, we tested the hypothesis that as sensorimotor cortical GABA declines naturally with age, adaptation memory would increase, and the former would explain the latter. Results confirmed this prediction. To probe causality, we used brain stimulation to further lower sensorimotor cortical GABA during adaptation. Across individuals, how stimulation changed memory depended on sensorimotor cortical E:I. In those with low E:I, stimulation increased memory; in those with high E:I stimulation reduced memory. Thus, we identified a form of motor memory that is naturally strengthened by age, depends causally on sensorimotor cortex neurochemistry, and may be a potent target for motor skill preservation strategies in healthy ageing and neurorehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Petitet
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN), John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford, United Kingdom; Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, Equipe Trajectoires, Inserm UMR-S 1028, CNRS UMR 5292, Université Lyon 1, Bron, France.
| | - Gershon Spitz
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN), John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford, United Kingdom; Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Uzay E Emir
- School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.
| | - Heidi Johansen-Berg
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN), John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford, United Kingdom.
| | - Jacinta O'Shea
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN), John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford, United Kingdom; Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity (OHBA), University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Warneford Lane, Oxford, United Kingdom.
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29
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Fettrow T, Hupfeld K, Reimann H, Choi J, Hass C, Seidler R. Age differences in adaptation of medial-lateral gait parameters during split-belt treadmill walking. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21148. [PMID: 34707122 PMCID: PMC8551204 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00515-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The split-belt treadmill has been used to examine the adaptation of spatial and temporal gait parameters. Historically, similar studies have focused on anterior-posterior (AP) spatiotemporal gait parameters because this paradigm is primarily a perturbation in the AP direction, but it is important to understand whether and how medial-lateral (ML) control adapts in this scenario. The ML control of balance must be actively controlled and adapted in different walking environments. Furthermore, it is well established that older adults have balance difficulties. Therefore, we seek to determine whether ML balance adaptation differs in older age. We analyzed split belt induced changes in gait parameters including variables which inform us about ML balance control in younger and older adults. Our primary finding is that younger adults showed sustained asymmetric changes in these ML balance parameters during the split condition. Specifically, younger adults sustained a greater displacement between their fast stance foot and their upper body, relative to the slow stance foot, in the ML direction. This finding suggests that younger adults may be exploiting passive dynamics in the ML direction, which may be more metabolically efficient. Older adults did not display the same degree of asymmetry, suggesting older adults may be more concerned about maintaining a stable gait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler Fettrow
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32605, USA.
| | - Kathleen Hupfeld
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32605, USA
| | - Hendrik Reimann
- Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19713, USA
| | - Julia Choi
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32605, USA
| | - Chris Hass
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32605, USA
| | - Rachael Seidler
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32605, USA
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30
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Normal Aging Affects the Short-Term Temporal Stability of Implicit, But Not Explicit, Motor Learning following Visuomotor Adaptation. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0527-20.2021. [PMID: 34580156 PMCID: PMC8519305 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0527-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Normal aging is associated with a decline in memory and motor learning ability. However, the exact form of these impairments (e.g., the short-term temporal stability and affected learning mechanisms) is largely unknown. Here, we used a sensorimotor adaptation task to examine changes in the temporal stability of two forms of learning (explicit and implicit) because of normal aging. Healthy young subjects (age range, 19–28 years; 20 individuals) and older human subjects (age range, 63–85 years; 19 individuals) made reaching movements in response to altered visual feedback. On each trial, subjects turned a rotation dial to select an explicit aiming direction. Once selected, the display was removed and subjects moved the cursor from the start position to the target. After initial training with the rotational feedback perturbation, subjects completed a series of probe trials at different delay periods to systematically assess the short-term retention of learning. For both groups, the explicit aiming showed no significant decrease over 1.5 min. However, this was not the case for implicit learning; the decay pattern was markedly different between groups. Older subjects showed a linear decrease of the implicit component of adaptation over time, while young subjects showed an exponential decay over the same period (time constant, 25.61 s). Although older subjects adapted at a similar rate, these results suggest natural aging selectively impacts the short-term (seconds to minutes) temporal stability of implicit motor learning mechanisms. This understanding may provide a means to dissociate natural aging memory impairments from deficits caused by brain disorders that progress with aging.
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31
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Vandevoorde K, Orban de Xivry JJ. Does proprioceptive acuity influence the extent of implicit sensorimotor adaptation in young and older adults? J Neurophysiol 2021; 126:1326-1344. [PMID: 34346739 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00636.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to adjust movements to changes in the environment declines with aging. This age-related decline is caused by the decline of explicit adjustments. However, implicit adaptation remains intact and might even be increased with aging. Since proprioceptive information has been linked to implicit adaptation, it might well be that an age-related decline in proprioceptive acuity might be linked to the performance of older adults in implicit adaptation tasks. Indeed, age-related proprioceptive deficits could lead to altered sensory integration with an increased weighting of the visual sensory-prediction error. Another possibility is that reduced proprioceptive acuity results in an increased reliance on predicted sensory consequences of the movement. Both these explanations led to our preregistered hypothesis: we expected a relation between the decline of proprioception and the amount of implicit adaptation across ages. However, we failed to support this hypothesis. Our results question the existence of reliability-based integration of visual and proprioceptive signals during motor adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koenraad Vandevoorde
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean-Jacques Orban de Xivry
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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32
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Albert ST, Jang J, Sheahan HR, Teunissen L, Vandevoorde K, Herzfeld DJ, Shadmehr R. An implicit memory of errors limits human sensorimotor adaptation. Nat Hum Behav 2021; 5:920-934. [PMID: 33542527 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-01036-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
During extended motor adaptation, learning appears to saturate despite persistence of residual errors. This adaptation limit is not fixed but varies with perturbation variance; when variance is high, residual errors become larger. These changes in total adaptation could relate to either implicit or explicit learning systems. Here, we found that when adaptation relied solely on the explicit system, residual errors disappeared and learning was unaltered by perturbation variability. In contrast, when learning depended entirely, or in part, on implicit learning, residual errors reappeared. Total implicit adaptation decreased in the high-variance environment due to changes in error sensitivity, not in forgetting. These observations suggest a model in which the implicit system becomes more sensitive to errors when they occur in a consistent direction. Thus, residual errors in motor adaptation are at least in part caused by an implicit learning system that modulates its error sensitivity in response to the consistency of past errors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott T Albert
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Jihoon Jang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hannah R Sheahan
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Lonneke Teunissen
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Koenraad Vandevoorde
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - David J Herzfeld
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Reza Shadmehr
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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33
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Sombric CJ, Torres-Oviedo G. Cognitive and Motor Perseveration Are Associated in Older Adults. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:610359. [PMID: 33986654 PMCID: PMC8110726 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.610359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging causes perseveration (difficulty to switch between actions) in motor and cognitive tasks, suggesting that the same neural processes could govern these abilities in older adults. To test this, we evaluated the relation between independently measured motor and cognitive perseveration in young (21.4 ± 3.7 y/o) and older participants (76.5 ± 2.9 y/o). Motor perseveration was measured with a locomotor task in which participants had to transition between distinct walking patterns. Cognitive perseveration was measured with a card matching task in which participants had to switch between distinct matching rules. We found that perseveration in the cognitive and motor domains were positively related in older, but not younger individuals, such that participants exhibiting greater perseveration in the motor task also perseverated more in the cognitive task. Additionally, exposure reduces motor perseveration: older adults who had practiced the motor task could transition between walking patterns as proficiently as naïve, young individuals. Our results suggest an overlap in neural processes governing cognitive and motor perseveration with aging and that exposure can counteract the age-related motor perseveration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gelsy Torres-Oviedo
- Sensorimotor Learning Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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34
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Poirier G, Ohayon A, Juranville A, Mourey F, Gaveau J. Deterioration, Compensation and Motor Control Processes in Healthy Aging, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease. Geriatrics (Basel) 2021; 6:33. [PMID: 33807008 PMCID: PMC8006018 DOI: 10.3390/geriatrics6010033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Aging is associated with modifications of several brain structures and functions. These modifications then manifest as modified behaviors. It has been proposed that some brain function modifications may compensate for some other deteriorated ones, thus maintaining behavioral performance. Through the concept of compensation versus deterioration, this article reviews the literature on motor function in healthy and pathological aging. We first highlight mechanistic studies that used paradigms, allowing us to identify precise compensation mechanisms in healthy aging. Subsequently, we review studies investigating motor function in two often-associated neurological conditions, i.e., mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. We point out the need to expand the knowledge gained from descriptive studies with studies targeting specific motor control processes. Teasing apart deteriorated versus compensating processes represents precious knowledge that could significantly improve the prevention and rehabilitation of age-related loss of mobility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Poirier
- INSERM U1093-CAPS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, F-21000 Dijon, France; (A.O.); (A.J.); (F.M.); (J.G.)
- Espace d’Étude du Mouvement—Étienne Jules MAREY, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, F-21000 Dijon, France
| | - Alice Ohayon
- INSERM U1093-CAPS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, F-21000 Dijon, France; (A.O.); (A.J.); (F.M.); (J.G.)
| | - Adrien Juranville
- INSERM U1093-CAPS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, F-21000 Dijon, France; (A.O.); (A.J.); (F.M.); (J.G.)
| | - France Mourey
- INSERM U1093-CAPS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, F-21000 Dijon, France; (A.O.); (A.J.); (F.M.); (J.G.)
- Espace d’Étude du Mouvement—Étienne Jules MAREY, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, F-21000 Dijon, France
| | - Jeremie Gaveau
- INSERM U1093-CAPS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, F-21000 Dijon, France; (A.O.); (A.J.); (F.M.); (J.G.)
- Espace d’Étude du Mouvement—Étienne Jules MAREY, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, F-21000 Dijon, France
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35
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Schneider TR, Hermsdörfer J. Intention to be force efficient improves high-level anticipatory coordination of finger positions and forces in young and elderly adults. J Neurophysiol 2021; 125:1663-1680. [PMID: 33689482 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00499.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful object manipulation requires anticipatory high-level control of finger positions and forces to prevent object slip and tilt. Unlike young adults, who efficiently scale grip forces (GFs) according to surface conditions, old adults were reported to exert excessive grip forces. In this study, we theoretically show how grip force economy depends on the modulation of the centers of pressure on opposing grip surfaces (ΔCoP) according to object properties. In a grasp-to-lift study with young and elderly participants, we investigated how the instruction to lift the object with efficient GF influences the anticipation of torques, ΔCoP and GF control during complex variations of mass distributions and surface properties. Provision of the explicit instruction to strive for force efficiency prompted both age groups to optimize their ΔCoP modulation, although to a lesser degree in the elderly, and also led to a refinement of torque anticipation for a right-sided weight distribution in the young, but not the elderly participants. Consequently, marked drops in GF levels resulted. Furthermore, participants enhanced ΔCoP modulation and lowered GF safety ratios in challenging surface conditions. Higher GF in the elderly was due to decreased skin-surface friction but also worse ΔCoP modulation for lateralized mass distributions when trying to be force efficient. In contrast, safety margins were not elevated in the elderly, suggesting preserved GF control. Our findings demonstrate how task goals influence high-level motor control of object manipulation differentially in young and elderly participants and highlight the necessity to control for both instructions and friction when investigating GF control.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Previous studies have shown that forces are covaried as a function of centers of pressure (CoPs) to exert adequate torques. Here, we demonstrate that force-efficient object manipulation requires the modulation of CoPs and show that providing the instruction to be force efficient and challenging surface conditions elicits a GF safety ratio reduction as well as an optimization of anticipatory CoP modulation and torques in the young and, to a lesser degree, in the elderly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Rudolf Schneider
- Chair of Human Movement Science, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Joachim Hermsdörfer
- Chair of Human Movement Science, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
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36
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Tsay JS, Kim HE, Parvin DE, Stover AR, Ivry RB. Individual differences in proprioception predict the extent of implicit sensorimotor adaptation. J Neurophysiol 2021; 125:1307-1321. [PMID: 33656948 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00585.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have revealed an upper bound in motor adaptation, beyond which other learning systems may be recruited. The factors determining this upper bound are poorly understood. The multisensory integration hypothesis states that this limit arises from opposing responses to visual and proprioceptive feedback. As individuals adapt to a visual perturbation, they experience an increasing proprioceptive error in the opposite direction, and the upper bound is the point where these two error signals reach an equilibrium. Assuming that visual and proprioceptive feedback are weighted according to their variability, there should be a correlation between proprioceptive variability and the limits of adaptation. Alternatively, the proprioceptive realignment hypothesis states that the upper bound arises when the (visually biased) sensed hand position realigns with the expected sensed position (target). When a visuo-proprioceptive discrepancy is introduced, the sensed hand position is biased toward the visual cursor, and the adaptive system counteracts this discrepancy by driving the hand away from the target. This hypothesis predicts a correlation between the size of the proprioceptive shift and the upper bound of adaptation. We tested these two hypotheses by considering natural variation in proprioception and motor adaptation across individuals. We observed a modest, yet reliable correlation between the upper bound of adaptation with both proprioceptive measures (variability and shift). Although the results do not clearly favor one hypothesis over the other, they underscore the critical role of proprioception in sensorimotor adaptation.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Although the sensorimotor system uses sensory feedback to remain calibrated, this learning process is constrained, limited by the maximum degree of plasticity. The factors determining this limit remain elusive. Guided by two hypotheses, we show that individual differences in the upper bound of adaptation in response to a visual perturbation can be predicted by the bias and variability in proprioception. These results underscore the critical, but often neglected role of proprioception in human motor learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan S Tsay
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California.,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Hyosub E Kim
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
| | - Darius E Parvin
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California.,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Alissa R Stover
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Richard B Ivry
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California.,Department of Physical Therapy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
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37
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Avraham G, Morehead JR, Kim HE, Ivry RB. Reexposure to a sensorimotor perturbation produces opposite effects on explicit and implicit learning processes. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001147. [PMID: 33667219 PMCID: PMC7968744 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The motor system demonstrates an exquisite ability to adapt to changes in the environment and to quickly reset when these changes prove transient. If similar environmental changes are encountered in the future, learning may be faster, a phenomenon known as savings. In studies of sensorimotor learning, a central component of savings is attributed to the explicit recall of the task structure and appropriate compensatory strategies. Whether implicit adaptation also contributes to savings remains subject to debate. We tackled this question by measuring, in parallel, explicit and implicit adaptive responses in a visuomotor rotation task, employing a protocol that typically elicits savings. While the initial rate of learning was faster in the second exposure to the perturbation, an analysis decomposing the 2 processes showed the benefit to be solely associated with explicit re-aiming. Surprisingly, we found a significant decrease after relearning in aftereffect magnitudes during no-feedback trials, a direct measure of implicit adaptation. In a second experiment, we isolated implicit adaptation using clamped visual feedback, a method known to eliminate the contribution of explicit learning processes. Consistent with the results of the first experiment, participants exhibited a marked reduction in the adaptation function, as well as an attenuated aftereffect when relearning from the clamped feedback. Motivated by these results, we reanalyzed data from prior studies and observed a consistent, yet unappreciated pattern of attenuation of implicit adaptation during relearning. These results indicate that explicit and implicit sensorimotor processes exhibit opposite effects upon relearning: Explicit learning shows savings, while implicit adaptation becomes attenuated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy Avraham
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - J. Ryan Morehead
- School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Hyosub E. Kim
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, United States of America
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, United States of America
| | - Richard B. Ivry
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
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38
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Jayasinghe SA, Sarlegna FR, Scheidt RA, Sainburg RL. Somatosensory deafferentation reveals lateralized roles of proprioception in feedback and adaptive feedforward control of movement and posture. CURRENT OPINION IN PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 19:141-147. [PMID: 36569335 PMCID: PMC9788652 DOI: 10.1016/j.cophys.2020.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Proprioception provides crucial information necessary for determining limb position and movement, and plausibly also for updating internal models that might underlie the control of movement and posture. Seminal studies of upper-limb movements in individuals living with chronic, large fiber deafferentation have provided evidence for the role of proprioceptive information in the hypothetical formation and maintenance of internal models to produce accurate motor commands. Vision also contributes to sensorimotor functions but cannot fully compensate for proprioceptive deficits. More recent work has shown that posture and movement control processes are lateralized in the brain, and that proprioception plays a fundamental role in coordinating the contributions of these processes to the control of goal-directed actions. In fact, the behavior of each limb in a deafferented individual resembles the action of a controller in isolation. Proprioception, thus, provides state estimates necessary for the nervous system to efficiently coordinate multiple motor control processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanie A.L. Jayasinghe
- Department of Neurology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, U.S.A
| | | | - Robert A. Scheidt
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Marquette University and the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, U.S.A.,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, U.S.A
| | - Robert L. Sainburg
- Department of Neurology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, U.S.A.,Department of Kinesiology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, U.S.A
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39
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Bakkum A, Gunn SM, Marigold DS. How aging affects visuomotor adaptation and retention in a precision walking paradigm. Sci Rep 2021; 11:789. [PMID: 33437012 PMCID: PMC7804256 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80916-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Motor learning is a lifelong process. However, age-related changes to musculoskeletal and sensory systems alter the relationship (or mapping) between sensory input and motor output, and thus potentially affect motor learning. Here we asked whether age affects the ability to adapt to and retain a novel visuomotor mapping learned during overground walking. We divided participants into one of three groups (n = 12 each) based on chronological age: a younger-aged group (20–39 years old); a middle-aged group (40–59 years old); and an older-aged group (60–80 years old). Participants learned a new visuomotor mapping, induced by prism lenses, during a precision walking task. We assessed retention one-week later. We did not detect significant effects of age on measures of adaptation or savings (defined as faster relearning). However, we found that older adults demonstrated reduced initial recall of the mapping, reflected by greater foot-placement error during the first adaptation trial one-week later. Additionally, we found that increased age significantly associated with reduced initial recall. Overall, our results suggest that aging does not impair adaptation and that older adults can demonstrate visuomotor savings. However, older adults require some initial context during relearning to recall the appropriate mapping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Bakkum
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Shaila M Gunn
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Daniel S Marigold
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
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40
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Tsay JS, Avraham G, Kim HE, Parvin DE, Wang Z, Ivry RB. The effect of visual uncertainty on implicit motor adaptation. J Neurophysiol 2021; 125:12-22. [PMID: 33236937 PMCID: PMC8087384 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00493.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensorimotor adaptation is influenced by both the size and variance of error information. In the present study, we varied visual uncertainty and error size in a factorial manner and evaluated their joint effect on adaptation, using a feedback method that avoids inherent limitations with standard visuomotor tasks. Uncertainty attenuated adaptation, but only when the error was small. This striking interaction highlights a novel constraint for models of sensorimotor adaptation. Sensorimotor adaptation is driven by sensory prediction errors, the difference between the predicted and actual feedback. When the position of the feedback is made uncertain, motor adaptation is attenuated. This effect, in the context of optimal sensory integration models, has been attributed to the motor system discounting noisy feedback and thus reducing the learning rate. In its simplest form, optimal integration predicts that uncertainty would result in reduced learning for all error sizes. However, these predictions remain untested since manipulations of error size in standard visuomotor tasks introduce confounds in the degree to which performance is influenced by other learning processes such as strategy use. Here, we used a novel visuomotor task that isolates the contribution of implicit adaptation, independent of error size. In two experiments, we varied feedback uncertainty and error size in a factorial manner. At odds with the basic predictions derived from the optimal integration theory, the results show that uncertainty attenuated learning only when the error size was small but had no effect when the error size was large. We discuss possible mechanisms that may account for this interaction, considering how uncertainty may interact with the relevance assigned to the error signal or how the output of the adaptation system in terms of recalibrating the sensorimotor map may be modified by uncertainty.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Sensorimotor adaptation is influenced by both the size and variance of error information. In the present study, we varied visual uncertainty and error size in a factorial manner and evaluated their joint effect on adaptation, using a feedback method that avoids inherent limitations with standard visuomotor tasks. Uncertainty attenuated adaptation but only when the error was small. This striking interaction highlights a novel constraint for models of sensorimotor adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan S Tsay
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Guy Avraham
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Hyosub E Kim
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
| | - Darius E Parvin
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Zixuan Wang
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Richard B Ivry
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California
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41
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Task Feedback Processing Differs Between Young and Older Adults in Visuomotor Rotation Learning Despite Similar Initial Adaptation and Savings. Neuroscience 2020; 451:79-98. [PMID: 33002556 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.09.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Ageing has been suggested to affect sensorimotor adaptation by impairing explicit strategy use. Here we recorded electrophysiological (EEG) responses during visuomotor rotation in both young (n = 24) and older adults (n = 25), to investigate the neural processes that underpin putative age-related effects on adaptation. We measured the feedback related negativity (FRN) and the P3 in response to task-feedback, as electrophysiological markers of task error processing and outcome evaluation. The two age groups adapted similarly and showed comparable after effects and savings when re-exposed to the same perturbation several days after the initial session. Older adults, however, had less distinct EEG responses (i.e., reduced FRN amplitudes) to negative and positive task feedback. The P3 did not differ between age groups. Both young and older adults also showed a sustained late positivity following task feedback. Measured at the frontal electrode Fz, this sustained activity was negatively associated with both the amount of voluntary disengagement of explicit strategy and savings. In conclusion, despite preserved task performance, we find clear differences in neural responses to errors in older people, which suggests that there is a fundamental decline in this aspect of sensorimotor brain function with age.
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42
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Kitchen NM, Miall RC. Adaptation of reach action to a novel force-field is not predicted by acuity of dynamic proprioception in either older or younger adults. Exp Brain Res 2020; 239:557-574. [PMID: 33315127 PMCID: PMC7936968 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-020-05997-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Healthy ageing involves degeneration of the neuromuscular system which impacts movement control and proprioception. Yet the relationship between these sensory and motor deficits in upper limb reaching has not been examined in detail. Recently, we reported that age-related proprioceptive deficits were unrelated to accuracy in rapid arm movements, but whether this applied in motor tasks more heavily dependent on proprioceptive feedback was not clear. To address this, we have tested groups of younger and older adults on a force-field adaptation task under either full or limited visual feedback conditions and examined how performance was related to dynamic proprioceptive acuity. Adaptive performance was similar between the age groups, regardless of visual feedback condition, although older adults showed increased after-effects. Physically inactive individuals made larger systematic (but not variable) proprioceptive errors, irrespective of age. However, dynamic proprioceptive acuity was unrelated to adaptation and there was no consistent evidence of proprioceptive recalibration with adaptation to the force-field for any group. Finally, in spite of clear age-dependent loss of spatial working memory capacity, we found no relationship between memory capacity and adaptive performance or proprioceptive acuity. Thus, non-clinical levels of deficit in dynamic proprioception, due to age or physical inactivity, do not affect force-field adaptation, even under conditions of limited visual feedback that might require greater proprioceptive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick M Kitchen
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - R Chris Miall
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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43
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Vázquez-Hernández N, Martínez-Torres NI, González-Burgos I. Plastic changes to dendritic spines in the cerebellar and prefrontal cortices underlie the decline in motor coordination and working memory during successful aging. Behav Brain Res 2020; 400:113014. [PMID: 33309738 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.113014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Old age is the last stage of life and by taking a multidimensional view of aging, Neuroscientists have been able to characterize pathological or successful aging. Psychomotor and cognitive performance are recognized as two major domains of successful aging, with a loss of motor coordination and working memory deficits two of the most characteristic features of elderly people. Dendritic spines in both the cerebellar and prefrontal cortices diminish in aging, yet the plastic changes in dendritic spines have not been related to behavioral performance neither the changes in the cerebellar or prefrontal cortices. As such, motor coordination and visuospatial working memory (vsWM) was evaluated here in aged, 22-month-old rats, calculating the density of spines and the proportion of the different types of spines. These animals performed erratically and slowly in a motor coordination-related paradigm, and the vsWM was resolved deficiently. Spine density was reduced in aged animals, and the proportional density of each of the spine types studied diminished in both the brain regions studied. The loss of dendritic spines and particularly, the changes in the proportional density of the different spine types could underlie, at least in part, the behavioral deficits observed during aging. To our knowledge, this is the first study of the plastic changes in different dendritic spine types that might underlie the behavioral alterations in motor and cognitive abilities associated with aging. Further neurochemical and molecular studies will help better understand the functional significance of the plastic changes to dendritic spines in both successful and pathological aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Vázquez-Hernández
- División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente, IMSS, Guadalajara, Jal, Mexico
| | - N I Martínez-Torres
- División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente, IMSS, Guadalajara, Jal, Mexico; Centro Universitario del Norte, Universidad de Guadalajara, Colotlán, Jal, Mexico
| | - I González-Burgos
- División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente, IMSS, Guadalajara, Jal, Mexico.
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44
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Kim HE, Avraham G, Ivry RB. The Psychology of Reaching: Action Selection, Movement Implementation, and Sensorimotor Learning. Annu Rev Psychol 2020; 72:61-95. [PMID: 32976728 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010419-051053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The study of motor planning and learning in humans has undergone a dramatic transformation in the 20 years since this journal's last review of this topic. The behavioral analysis of movement, the foundational approach for psychology, has been complemented by ideas from control theory, computer science, statistics, and, most notably, neuroscience. The result of this interdisciplinary approach has been a focus on the computational level of analysis, leading to the development of mechanistic models at the psychological level to explain how humans plan, execute, and consolidate skilled reaching movements. This review emphasizes new perspectives on action selection and motor planning, research that stands in contrast to the previously dominant representation-based perspective of motor programming, as well as an emerging literature highlighting the convergent operation of multiple processes in sensorimotor learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyosub E Kim
- Departments of Physical Therapy, Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Biomedical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - Guy Avraham
- Department of Psychology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA;
| | - Richard B Ivry
- Department of Psychology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA;
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45
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Vachon CM, Modchalingam S, ‘t Hart BM, Henriques DYP. The effect of age on visuomotor learning processes. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0239032. [PMID: 32925937 PMCID: PMC7489529 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowing where our limbs are in space is essential for moving and for adapting movements to various changes in our environments and bodies. The ability to adapt movements declines with age, and age-related cognitive decline can explain a decreased ability to adopt and deploy explicit, cognitive strategies in motor learning. Age-related sensory decline could also lead to a reduced fidelity of sensory position signals and error signals, each of which can affect implicit motor adaptation. Here we investigate two estimates of limb position; one based on proprioception, the other on predicted sensory consequences of movements. Each is considered a measure of an implicit adaptation process and may be affected by both age and cognitive strategies. Both older (n = 38) and younger (n = 42) adults adapted to a 30° visuomotor rotation in a centre-out reaching task. We make an explicit, cognitive strategy available to half of participants in each age group with a detailed instruction. After training, we first quantify the explicit learning elicited by instruction. Instructed older adults initially use the provided strategy slightly less than younger adults but show a similar ability to evoke it after training. This indicates that cognitive explanations for age-related decline in motor learning are limited. In contrast, training induced much larger shifts of state estimates of hand location in older adults compared to younger adults. This is not modulated by strategy instructions, and appears driven by recalibrated proprioception, which is almost twice as large in older adults, while predictions might not be updated in older adults. This means that in healthy aging, some implicit processes may be compensating for other changes to maintain motor capabilities, while others also show age-related decline (data: https://osf.io/qzhmy).
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad Michael Vachon
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Shanaathanan Modchalingam
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Denise Y. P. Henriques
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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46
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Block HJ, Sexton BM. Visuo-Proprioceptive Control of the Hand in Older Adults. Multisens Res 2020; 34:93-111. [PMID: 33706277 DOI: 10.1163/22134808-bja10032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
To control hand movement, we have both vision and proprioception, or position sense. The brain is known to integrate these to reduce variance. Here we ask whether older adults integrate vision and proprioception in a way that minimizes variance as young adults do, and whether older subjects compensate for an imposed visuo-proprioceptive mismatch as young adults do. Ten healthy older adults (mean age 69) and 10 healthy younger adults (mean age 19) participated. Subjects were asked to estimate the position of visual, proprioceptive, and combined targets, with no direct vision of either hand. After a veridical baseline block, a spatial visuo-proprioceptive misalignment was gradually imposed by shifting the visual component forward from the proprioceptive component without the subject's awareness. Older subjects were more variable than young subjects at estimating both visual and proprioceptive target positions. Older subjects tended to rely more heavily on vision than proprioception compared to younger subjects. However, the weighting of vision vs. proprioception was correlated with minimum variance predictions for both older and younger adults, suggesting that variance-minimizing mechanisms are present to some degree in older adults. Visual and proprioceptive realignment were similar for young and older subjects in the misalignment block, suggesting older subjects are able to realign as much as young subjects. These results suggest that intact multisensory processing in older adults should be explored as a potential means of mitigating degradation in individual sensory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J Block
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Brandon M Sexton
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
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47
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Vandevoorde K, Orban de Xivry JJ. Why is the explicit component of motor adaptation limited in elderly adults? J Neurophysiol 2020; 124:152-167. [PMID: 32459553 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00659.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The cognitive component of motor adaptation declines with aging. Yet, in other motor tasks, older adults appear to rely on cognition to improve their motor performance. It is unknown why older adults are not able to do so in motor adaptation. To solve this apparent contradiction, we tested the possibility that older adults require more cognitive resources in unperturbed reaching compared with younger adults, which leaves fewer resources available for the cognitive aspect of motor adaptation. Two cognitive-motor dual-task experiments were designed to test this. The cognitive load of unperturbed reaching was assessed via dual-task costs during the baseline period of visuomotor rotation experiments, which provided us with an estimation of the amount of cognitive resources used during unperturbed reaching. However, we did not observe a link between dual-task costs and explicit adaptation in both experiments and, therefore, failed to confirm this hypothesis. Instead, we observed that explicit adaptation was mainly associated with visuospatial working memory capacity. This suggests that visuospatial working memory of an individual might be linked to the extent of explicit adaptation for young and older adults.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our work addresses the contradiction between the age-related increase in the contribution of cognition for the execution of motor tasks and the age-related decrease in the cognitive component of motor adaptation. We predicted that elderly adults would need more cognitive resources for reaches and would, therefore, not have enough cognitive resources available for adaptation. Rather, we observed that visuospatial abilities could better explain the amount of cognition used by our participants for motor adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koenraad Vandevoorde
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean-Jacques Orban de Xivry
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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48
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Wolpe N, Ingram JN, Tsvetanov KA, Henson RN, Wolpert DM, Rowe JB. Age-related reduction in motor adaptation: brain structural correlates and the role of explicit memory. Neurobiol Aging 2020; 90:13-23. [PMID: 32184030 PMCID: PMC7181181 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2020.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The adaption of movement to changes in the environment varies across life span. Recent evidence has linked motor adaptation and its reduction with age to differences in "explicit" learning processes. We examine differences in brain structure and cognition underlying motor adaptation in a population-based cohort (n = 322, aged 18-89 years) using a visuomotor learning task and structural magnetic resonance imaging. Reduced motor adaptation with age was associated with reduced volume in striatum, prefrontal, and sensorimotor cortical regions, but not cerebellum. Medial temporal lobe volume, including the hippocampus, became a stronger determinant of motor adaptation with age. Consistent with the role of the medial temporal lobes, declarative long-term memory showed a similar interaction, whereby memory was more positively correlated with motor adaptation with increasing age. By contrast, visual short-term memory was related to motor adaptation, independently of age. These results support the hypothesis that cerebellar learning is largely unaffected in old age, and the reduction in motor adaptation with age is driven by a decline in explicit memory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noham Wolpe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - James N Ingram
- Computational and Biological Learning Laboratory, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kamen A Tsvetanov
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Richard N Henson
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Daniel M Wolpert
- Computational and Biological Learning Laboratory, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - James B Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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49
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Schween R, McDougle SD, Hegele M, Taylor JA. Assessing explicit strategies in force field adaptation. J Neurophysiol 2020; 123:1552-1565. [PMID: 32208878 PMCID: PMC7191530 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00427.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that a number of learning processes are at play in visuomotor adaptation tasks. In addition to implicitly adapting to a perturbation, learners can develop explicit knowledge allowing them to select better actions in responding to it. Advances in visuomotor rotation experiments have underscored the important role of such "explicit learning" in shaping adaptation to kinematic perturbations. Yet, in adaptation to dynamic perturbations, its contribution has been largely overlooked. We therefore sought to approach the assessment of explicit learning in adaptation to dynamic perturbations, by developing two novel modifications of a force field experiment. First, we asked learners to abandon any cognitive strategy before selected force channel trials to expose consciously accessible parts of overall learning. Here, learners indeed reduced compensatory force compared with standard Catch channels. Second, we instructed a group of learners to mimic their right hand's adaptation by moving with their naïve left hand. While a control group displayed negligible left hand force compensation, the mimicking group reported forces that approximated right hand adaptation but appeared to under-report the velocity component of the force field in favor of a more position-based component. Our results highlight the viability of explicit learning as a potential contributor to force field adaptation, though the fraction of learning under participants' deliberate control on average remained considerably smaller than that of implicit learning, despite task conditions favoring explicit learning. The methods we employed provide a starting point for investigating the contribution of explicit strategies to force field adaptation.NEW & NOTEWORTHY While the contribution of explicit learning has been increasingly studied in visuomotor adaptation, its contribution to force field adaptation has not been studied extensively. We employed two novel methods to assay explicit learning in a force field adaptation task and found that learners can voluntarily control aspects of compensatory force production and manually report it with their untrained limb. This supports the general viability of the contribution of explicit learning also in force field adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Schween
- Neuromotor Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology & Sport Science, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Samuel D McDougle
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Mathias Hegele
- Neuromotor Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology & Sport Science, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Universities of Marburg and Giessen, Marburg, Germany
| | - Jordan A Taylor
- Intelligent Performance and Adaptation Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
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50
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Poirier G, Papaxanthis C, Mourey F, Gaveau J. Motor Planning of Vertical Arm Movements in Healthy Older Adults: Does Effort Minimization Persist With Aging? Front Aging Neurosci 2020; 12:37. [PMID: 32161533 PMCID: PMC7052522 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.00037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Several sensorimotor modifications are known to occur with aging, possibly leading to adverse outcomes such as falls. Recently, some of those modifications have been proposed to emerge from motor planning deteriorations. Motor planning of vertical movements is thought to engage an internal model of gravity to anticipate its mechanical effects on the body-limbs and thus to genuinely produce movements that minimize muscle effort. This is supported, amongst other results, by direction-dependent kinematics where relative durations to peak accelerations and peak velocity are shorter for upward than for downward movements. The present study compares the motor planning of fast and slow vertical arm reaching movements between 18 young (24 ± 3 years old) and 17 older adults (70 ± 5 years old). We found that older participants still exhibit strong directional asymmetries (i.e., differences between upward and downward movements), indicating that optimization processes during motor planning persist with healthy aging. However, the size of these differences was increased in older participants, indicating that gravity-related motor planning changes with age. We discuss this increase as the possible result of an overestimation of gravity torque or increased weight of the effort cost in the optimization process. Overall, these results support the hypothesis that feedforward processes and, more precisely, optimal motor planning, remain active with healthy aging.
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