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Providing Task Instructions During Motor Training Enhances Performance and Modulates Attentional Brain Networks
Joaquin Penalver-Andres1,2, Karin A Buetler1, Thomas Koenig3
1Motor Learning and Neurorehabilitation Laboratory, ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Frontiers in Neuroscience
|December 27, 2021
Summary
Explicit task instructions, whether visual cues or written commands, improve motor learning and performance. Different instruction types modulate distinct attentional brain networks, enhancing cognitive engagement during skill acquisition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Motor Learning
Background:
- Motor learning is a complex process requiring cognitive functions like attention, especially early in training.
- Task instructions (visual cues, written information) are commonly used to enhance cognitive engagement and accelerate motor learning.
- Limited research exists on how different instruction modalities impact attentional brain networks during motor skill acquisition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of explicit visual cues versus written commands on motor performance and attentional brain networks during motor learning.
- To compare implicit training (no instructions) with explicit-implicit (visual cues) and explicit (written commands) training paradigms.
Main Methods:
- 36 healthy participants trained in a virtual reality surfing task using a joystick.
- Three training groups: implicit (IMP), explicit-implicit (E-IMP, visual cues), and explicit (E, written commands).
- Electroencephalography (EEG) measured alpha-band activity to assess attentional brain networks before and after training; motor performance was also evaluated.
Main Results:
- Explicit instructions (E and E-IMP) led to reduced post-training motor variability and enhanced performance compared to implicit training (IMP).
- Visual cue training (E-IMP) increased alpha-band strength in parieto-occipital and frontal areas; written command training (E) decreased fronto-temporal alpha activity.
- Both explicit instruction types improved motor performance, but through distinct modulations of attentional networks (visuo-attentional vs. verbal-analytical).
Conclusions:
- Task instructions significantly modulate attentional brain networks during motor practice, supporting cognitive engagement.
- Visual cues and written commands yield comparable motor performance gains by engaging different neural pathways.
- The findings suggest that training parameters, including instruction modality, can be tailored to optimize motor learning and brain network activation.
