Effect of habitual physical activity on motor performance and prefrontal cortex activity during implicit motor...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Motor Learning
• Physical Activity

Background:

• Acute exercise improves motor learning, but the impact of habitual physical activity (PA) remains unclear.
• Understanding the link between lifelong PA and motor skill acquisition is crucial for PA guidelines.
• This study explores how habitual PA influences brain activity during motor skill learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of habitual physical activity levels on brain activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).
• To examine the relationship between habitual PA and procedural motor skill acquisition.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-six healthy young adults' physical activity levels were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).
• Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measured brain activity (oxyhaemoglobin changes) in the DLPFC during a serial reaction time task (SRTT).
• Behavioral data (reaction time, accuracy) were collected during the SRTT to quantify motor skill acquisition.

Main Results:

• Higher habitual PA levels correlated with improved reaction times during procedural motor skill acquisition (p=0.03).
• No significant association was found between habitual PA levels and accuracy during motor skill acquisition.
• Habitual PA levels did not significantly affect dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activation (∆[HbO2]) during the task.

Conclusions:

• Habitual physical activity may enhance motor performance, specifically reaction time, in young adults.
• The observed motor performance benefits from habitual PA are not mirrored by changes in DLPFC neural activation.
• Further research is needed to understand the neural mechanisms underlying the relationship between habitual PA and motor learning.