Sequential Reaching Task for the Study of Motor Skills in Monkeys

The ability to perform a sequence of movements is a key component of motor skills, such as typing or playing a musical instrument. How the brain binds elementary movements together into meaningful actions has been a topic of much interest. Here, we describe two sequential reaching tasks that we use to investigate the neural substrate of skilled sequential movements in monkeys after long-term practice. The movement elements performed in these tasks are essentially identical, but are generated in two different contexts. In one task, monkeys perform reaching movements that are instructed by visual cues. In the other, the monkeys perform reaching movements that are generated from memory after extended practice. With this behavioral paradigm, we can dissociate the neural processes related to the acquisition and retention of motor skills from those related to movement execution.