Neural substrates associated with the acquisition of fine finger force control

Precise finger force control is essential for performing everyday tasks such as writing, buttoning, and eating. While the neurophysiological basis of cognitive skill learning has been extensively studied, much less is known about the neural mechanisms supporting the acquisition of fine motor skills involving finger force control. This study aimed to investigate changes in cortical oscillatory activity and event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with the acquisition of fine finger force control.

Eighteen right-handed healthy young adults practiced a visual target-matching task using a left-hand pinch grip. Force control performance and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings were assessed before and after training. Behavioral analyses revealed significant improvements in time to target, velocity to target, mean force error, and force variability, with no changes in reaction time. EEG analysis showed enhanced alpha- and beta-band event-related desynchronization after learning. ERP analysis further revealed a significant reduction in N2 amplitude and a significant increase in P3 amplitude following learning.

These results suggest that learning fine finger force control is accompanied by enhanced visuomotor processing, more efficient stimulus discrimination, and greater attentional allocation. This study provides novel insights into the neurophysiological underpinnings of fine motor skill acquisition.