TY - JOUR
T1 - Two processes in early bimanual motor skill learning
AU - Yeganeh Doost, Maral
AU - De Xivry, Jean Jacques Orban
AU - Bihin, Benoît
AU - Vandermeeren, Yves
N1 - Funding Information:
The work of MYD was supported by the FRNS-FRIA n◦ F 3/5/5-MCF/ROI/BC-19727 and F 3/5/5-MCF/XH/FC-17514 and the work of YV by the SPD-FNRS: 1.R.506.16 and 1.R.506.18 grants.
Funding Information:
The work of MYD was supported by the FRNS-FRIA n° F 3/5/5- MCF/ROI/BC-19727 and F 3/5/5- MCF/XH/FC-17514 and the work of YV by the SPD-FNRS: 1.R.506.16 and 1.R.506.18 grants. The work of J-JOdX is supported by an internal grant from KU Leuven (STG/14/054) and by the FWO (1519916N).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Yeganeh Doost, Orban de Xivry, Bihin and Vandermeeren.
Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2017/12/20
Y1 - 2017/12/20
N2 - Most daily activities are bimanual and their efficient performance requires learning and retention of bimanual coordination. Despite in-depth knowledge of the various stages of motor skill learning in general, how new bimanual coordination control policies are established is still unclear. We designed a new cooperative bimanual task in which subjects had to move a cursor across a complex path (a circuit) as fast and as accurately as possible through coordinated bimanual movements. By looking at the transfer of the skill between different circuits and by looking at training with varying circuits, we identified two processes in early bimanual motor learning. Loss of performance due to the switch in circuit after 15 min of training amounted to 20%, which suggests that a significant portion of improvements in bimanual performance is specific to the used circuit (circuit-specific skill). In contrast, the loss of performance due to the switch in circuit was 5% after 4 min of training. This suggests that learning the new bimanual coordination control policy dominates early in the training and is independent of the used circuit. Finally, switching between two circuits throughout training did not affect the early stage of learning (i.e., the first few minutes), but did affect the later stage. Together, these results suggest that early bimanual motor skill learning includes two different processes. Learning the new bimanual coordination control policy predominates in the first minutes whereas circuit-specific skill improvements unfold later in parallel with further improvements in the bimanual coordination control policy.
AB - Most daily activities are bimanual and their efficient performance requires learning and retention of bimanual coordination. Despite in-depth knowledge of the various stages of motor skill learning in general, how new bimanual coordination control policies are established is still unclear. We designed a new cooperative bimanual task in which subjects had to move a cursor across a complex path (a circuit) as fast and as accurately as possible through coordinated bimanual movements. By looking at the transfer of the skill between different circuits and by looking at training with varying circuits, we identified two processes in early bimanual motor learning. Loss of performance due to the switch in circuit after 15 min of training amounted to 20%, which suggests that a significant portion of improvements in bimanual performance is specific to the used circuit (circuit-specific skill). In contrast, the loss of performance due to the switch in circuit was 5% after 4 min of training. This suggests that learning the new bimanual coordination control policy dominates early in the training and is independent of the used circuit. Finally, switching between two circuits throughout training did not affect the early stage of learning (i.e., the first few minutes), but did affect the later stage. Together, these results suggest that early bimanual motor skill learning includes two different processes. Learning the new bimanual coordination control policy predominates in the first minutes whereas circuit-specific skill improvements unfold later in parallel with further improvements in the bimanual coordination control policy.
KW - Bimanual coordination
KW - Bimanual motor skill learning
KW - Inter-limb coordination
KW - Motor coordination
KW - Motor learning
KW - Motor skill learning
KW - Robotics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85040985431&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00618
DO - 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00618
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85040985431
SN - 1662-5161
VL - 11
JO - Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
JF - Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
M1 - 618
ER -