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Coordination between posture and movement in a bimanual load-lifting task: is there a transfer?
M Ioffe1, J Massion, N Gantchev
1Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Experimental Brain Research
|June 1, 1996
Summary
This study found that learned anticipatory postural adjustments for load lifting do not transfer between arms. Initial learning did not improve subsequent learning on the opposite arm, suggesting task-specific motor adaptation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Human Movement Science
Background:
- Anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) are crucial for stabilizing the body during voluntary movements, particularly in tasks like load lifting.
- Understanding the transferability of learned APAs between limbs is essential for comprehending motor learning and adaptation mechanisms.
- Previous research has explored interlimb transfer in various motor tasks, but specific findings for APAs in bimanual load lifting remain less clear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether an anticipatory postural adjustment learned with one upper extremity can be transferred to the contralateral upper extremity in a bimanual load lifting task.
- To determine if prior learning of APAs in one arm influences the rate or extent of learning in the other arm.
Main Methods:
- Eight seated subjects performed a load lifting task, maintaining a loaded forearm (postural arm) while voluntarily lifting a load with the other arm (moving arm).
- Unloading of the postural arm was triggered by the voluntary movement of the moving arm.
- Maximum amplitude (MA) and maximum velocity (MV) of elbow joint rotation in the postural arm were measured; learning was assessed via regression analysis.
Main Results:
- Significant decreases in MA and MV were observed within and between trials during the initial learning session, indicating motor learning.
- Comparison between the last trials of the initial learning session and the first trials of the transfer session revealed a significant difference, indicating a lack of transfer.
- Subsequent learning in the second session occurred, but the initial learning did not facilitate this second learning phase.
Conclusions:
- Anticipatory postural adjustments learned during a bimanual load lifting task do not transfer between the upper extremities.
- Motor learning of APAs in this task appears to be specific to the limb involved in the initial learning.
- The findings suggest that separate learning processes occur for each limb in this specific bimanual load lifting paradigm.