Modulating the Structure of Motor Variability for Skill Learning Through Specific Muscle Synergies in Elderlies and Young Adults
<italic>Objective:</italic> Motor variability – performance variations across task repetitions – has been assumed to be undesirable. But recent studies argue that variability facilitates early motor learning by allowing exploratory search of reward-generating motion...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IEEE
2020-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8949472/ |
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| Summary: | <italic>Objective:</italic> Motor variability – performance variations across task repetitions – has been assumed to be undesirable. But recent studies argue that variability facilitates early motor learning by allowing exploratory search of reward-generating motion, and that variability's structure may be modulated by neural circuits for furthering learning. What are the neural sources of learning-relevant motor variability and its modulation in humans of different ages? <italic>Methods:</italic> Elderlies and young adults played a 3-session virtual bowling while multi-muscle electromyographic signals were collected. We quantified trial-to-trial variability of muscle synergies – neuromotor control modules – and of their activations. <italic>Results:</italic> In elderlies, bowling-score gain correlated with change of activation timing variability of specific synergies, but in young adults, with variability changes of synergy-activation magnitude, and of the synergies themselves. <italic>Conclusions:</italic> Variability modulation of specific muscle synergies and their activations contribute to early motor learning. Elderly and young individuals may rely on different aspects of motor variability to drive learning. |
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| ISSN: | 2644-1276 |