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Learning context shapes bimanual control strategy and generalization of novel dynamics
Jonathan Orschiedt1, David W Franklin1,2,3
1Neuromuscular Diagnostics, Department Health and Sport Sciences, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Plos Computational Biology
|December 8, 2023
Summary
Sensorimotor control can form motor memories based on the motion of other limbs. Training conditions significantly influence how these memories are encoded and generalized to new bimanual movements.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Human Movement Science
Background:
- Bimanual movements are essential for daily activities.
- Mechanisms of sensorimotor adaptation in bimanual tasks are not fully understood.
- The integration of learned motor memories with experienced states across different effectors requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how the sensorimotor control system forms and adapts motor memories in bimanual movements.
- To determine if and how multiple states from different limbs are combined to create and adapt motor memory.
- To examine the influence of training ambiguity on motor memory encoding and generalization.
Main Methods:
- A novel experimental paradigm was used to train participants on bimanual movements.
- Two groups were trained: one with evident kinematic associations between hands, the other with ambiguous associations.
- Motor memory encoding and generalization were assessed by measuring responses to new movement combinations and unimanual movements.
Main Results:
- Both groups adapted to novel dynamics, but encoding differed based on training.
- The 'evident' group showed weighted motor memory encoding based on the contralateral (right) hand's kinematics.
- The 'ambiguous' group primarily exhibited ipsilateral (left) hand encoding in bimanual trials, with partial generalization to unimanual movements observed in both groups.
Conclusions:
- Motor memories can be encoded based on the motion of other limbs.
- Training conditions critically shape the encoding process of motor memory formation.
- The degree of ambiguity in training influences the generalization of motor memories to novel unimanual contexts.
