Reorganization of finger coordination patterns during adaptation to rotation and scaling of a newly learned sensorimotor transformation. J Neurophysiol 2011 Jan;105(1):454-73
Date
10/29/2010Pubmed ID
20980541Pubmed Central ID
PMC3023375DOI
10.1152/jn.00247.2010Scopus ID
2-s2.0-78651421828 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 50 CitationsAbstract
We examined how people organize redundant kinematic control variables (finger joint configurations) while learning to make goal-directed movements of a virtual object (a cursor) within a low-dimensional task space (a computer screen). Subjects participated in three experiments performed on separate days. Learning progressed rapidly on day 1, resulting in reduced target capture error and increased cursor trajectory linearity. On days 2 and 3, one group of subjects adapted to a rotation of the nominal map, imposed either stepwise or randomly over trials. Another group experienced a scaling distortion. We report two findings. First, adaptation rates and memory-dependent motor command updating depended on distortion type. Stepwise application and removal of the rotation induced a marked increase in finger motion variability but scaling did not, suggesting that the rotation initiated a more exhaustive search through the space of viable finger motions to resolve the target capture task than did scaling. Indeed, subjects formed new coordination patterns in compensating the rotation but relied on patterns established during baseline practice to compensate the scaling. These findings support the idea that the brain compensates direction and extent errors separately and in computationally distinct ways, but are inconsistent with the idea that once a task is learned, command updating is limited to those degrees of freedom contributing to performance (thereby minimizing energetic or similar costs of control). Second, we report that subjects who learned a scaling while moving to just one target generalized more narrowly across directions than those who learned a rotation. This contrasts with results from whole-arm reaching studies, where a learned scaling generalizes more broadly across direction than rotation. Based on inverse- and forward-dynamics analyses of reaching with the arm, we propose the difference in results derives from extensive exposure in reaching with familiar arm dynamics versus the novelty of the manual task.
Author List
Liu X, Mosier KM, Mussa-Ivaldi FA, Casadio M, Scheidt RAAuthor
Robert Scheidt BS,MS,PhD Associate Professor in the Biomedical Engineering department at Marquette UniversityMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Adaptation, PhysiologicalAdult
Biomechanical Phenomena
Feedback, Sensory
Female
Fingers
Humans
Learning
Linear Models
Male
Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena
Nervous System Physiological Phenomena
Psychomotor Performance
Rotation
Task Performance and Analysis
