Abstract:
Previous research suggests that the neural processes underlying specification of movement direction and amplitude are independently represented in the nervous system. However, our understanding of acquisition and consolidation processes in the direction and distance learning remains limited. We designed a virtual air hockey task, in which the puck direction is determined by the hand direction at impact, while the puck distance is determined by the amplitude of the velocity. In two versions of this task, participants were required to either specify the direction or the distance of the puck, while the alternate variable did not contribute to task success. Separate groups of right-handed participants were recruited for each task. Each participant was randomly assigned to one of two groups with a counter-balanced arm practice sequence (right to left, or left to right). We examined acquisition and, after 24 h, we examined two aspects of consolidation: 1) same hand performance to test the durability and 2) the opposite hand to test the effector-independent consolidation (interlimb transfer) of learning. The distance task showed symmetry between hands in the extent of acquisition as well as in both aspects of consolidation. In contrast, the direction task showed asymmetry in both acquisition and consolidation: the dominant right arm showed faster and greater acquisition and greater transfer from the opposite arm training. The asymmetric acquisition and consolidation processes shown in the direction task might be explained by lateralized control and mapping of direction, an interpretation consistent with previous findings on motor adaptation paradigms.
摘要:
先前的研究表明,运动方向和幅度的基本神经过程在神经系统中独立表示。然而,我们对方向和远程学习的获取和整合过程的理解仍然有限。我们设计了一个虚拟的空中曲棍球任务,其中冰球方向由撞击时的手方向决定,而圆盘距离由速度的幅度决定。在此任务的两个版本中,参与者被要求指定冰球的方向或距离,而备用变量对任务成功没有贡献。每个任务都招募了一组单独的右撇子参与者。每位参与者被随机分配到两组中的一组,并进行平衡的手臂练习顺序(从右到左,或从左到右)。我们检查了收购,24小时后,我们检查了巩固的两个方面:1)相同的手表现来测试持久性,2)相反的手测试学习的效应器无关巩固(肢体间转移)。距离任务在获取范围以及合并的两个方面都显示出双手之间的对称性。相比之下,方向任务在获取和巩固方面都表现出不对称性:优势的右臂显示出更快,更大的获取和来自相反臂训练的更大转移。方向任务中显示的非对称采集和合并过程可以通过方向的横向控制和映射来解释,与先前关于运动适应范式的发现一致的解释。