Kimura T1, Nakano W1
1Tsukuba International University, Department of Physical Therapy, Tsuchiura, Japan
Background: Motor learning plays an important role in acquiring new motor skills and promoting it can facilitate faster acquisition of new motor skills. A famous method to promote motor learning was transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). TDCS could non-invasively change the excitability of a part of brain region. Stimulating the brain region related to motor learning through tDCS promotes motor learning. However, it was difficult to introduce tDCS in the clinical field because it had several problems including safety and cost. From this reason, we focused on the cognitive task instead of tDCS. Cognitive task can be performed safely. Additionally, it is well known that repeating cognitive task changed the excitability of a specific brain region. Therefore, we hypothesized that through cognitive task, effects on motor learning similar to those of tDCS could be obtained. Additionally, brain regions related to motor learning changed depending on the duration of motor learning. In the present study, we divided the duration of motor learning into the first half and second half and examined the effect of cognitive task on motor learning in each duration.
Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate whether repeating cognitive tasks promotes motor learning.
Methods: Thirty young adults were assigned to pre-cognitive, post-cognitive, or no-cognitive group. All participants manipulated a mouse to track a moving target on a screen with a cursor. The cursor was rotated 255° in the counterclockwise direction from the actual mouse position. Through this adjustment, participants learned to use a new tool (a rotated mouse). This mouse task was performed for 1 minute as one trial. We calculated the distance between the cursor and the target in each trial and used this value as the result of each trial. The experiment consisted of following phases: learning phase 1 (24 trials), learning phase 2 (24 trials, the day after learning phase 1), retention phase 1 (3 trials, 2 weeks after learning phase 1), and retention phase 2 (3 trials, 4 weeks after learning phase 1). We adopted visual N-back task as cognitive task because it activates the brain region related to motor learning. The pre-cognitive or post-cognitive group performed the visual N-back task for 20 min before learning phase 1 or learning phase 2, respectively. The no-cognitive group did not perform the N-back task.
Results: The mouse task performance improved significantly more the in pre-cognitive than no-cognitive group at the end of all phases (i.e., learning phase 1, learning phase 2, retention phase 1, and retention phase 2). Otherwise, there was no different between the mouse task performance in post-cognitive and no-cognitive group at the end of all phases.
Conclusion(s): Repeating cognitive task in the early phase of motor learning might promote motor learning.
Implications: Cognitive task can be performed safely, anytime and anywhere. Performing cognitive tasks might be a new method to promote motor learning in the clinical field. Further study is needed to evaluate the effective method of cognitive task performance for promoting motor learning.
Keywords: motor learning, cognitive task
Funding acknowledgements: This research work was supported by the 34th Research Grant of Meiji Yasuda Life Foundation of Health and Welfare
Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate whether repeating cognitive tasks promotes motor learning.
Methods: Thirty young adults were assigned to pre-cognitive, post-cognitive, or no-cognitive group. All participants manipulated a mouse to track a moving target on a screen with a cursor. The cursor was rotated 255° in the counterclockwise direction from the actual mouse position. Through this adjustment, participants learned to use a new tool (a rotated mouse). This mouse task was performed for 1 minute as one trial. We calculated the distance between the cursor and the target in each trial and used this value as the result of each trial. The experiment consisted of following phases: learning phase 1 (24 trials), learning phase 2 (24 trials, the day after learning phase 1), retention phase 1 (3 trials, 2 weeks after learning phase 1), and retention phase 2 (3 trials, 4 weeks after learning phase 1). We adopted visual N-back task as cognitive task because it activates the brain region related to motor learning. The pre-cognitive or post-cognitive group performed the visual N-back task for 20 min before learning phase 1 or learning phase 2, respectively. The no-cognitive group did not perform the N-back task.
Results: The mouse task performance improved significantly more the in pre-cognitive than no-cognitive group at the end of all phases (i.e., learning phase 1, learning phase 2, retention phase 1, and retention phase 2). Otherwise, there was no different between the mouse task performance in post-cognitive and no-cognitive group at the end of all phases.
Conclusion(s): Repeating cognitive task in the early phase of motor learning might promote motor learning.
Implications: Cognitive task can be performed safely, anytime and anywhere. Performing cognitive tasks might be a new method to promote motor learning in the clinical field. Further study is needed to evaluate the effective method of cognitive task performance for promoting motor learning.
Keywords: motor learning, cognitive task
Funding acknowledgements: This research work was supported by the 34th Research Grant of Meiji Yasuda Life Foundation of Health and Welfare
Topic: Disability & rehabilitation; Health promotion & wellbeing/healthy ageing; Sport & sports injuries
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: Tsukuba International University
Ethics committee: Ethics Committee of Tsukuba International University
Ethics number: 29-30
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
