An Experimental Comparison of Brain Activity in Professional and Non-professional Sewers during the Use of Sewing Needles

Abstract

AbstractThe purpose of this experiment is to analyze differences in brain activity of people using hand motor skills. The subjects were twelve healthy female adults with professional or non-professional sewing abilities. Near infrared radiation spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to measure the brain activity of each subject related to the movement of fingers during the “needling” process. Furthermore, the finger muscle activity was measured to assist in calculating the value of the integral during the needling. “Needling” performance (number of needle stitches, needle stitch intervals, and completion time) was also recorded. The study required the subjects to sew four types of stitches in 20 second intervals. The results show that while the subjects with professional skills made a significantly higher number of needle stitches, there was no significant difference between the non-professionals. No major muscle activity occurred in either group, although there was some increase in force used by the non-professionals. An increasing tendency was found in the presence of oxy-Hb in the brain activity, which corresponded with the rhythm of the muscle activity. In the professional group it was present in the prefrontal cortex and the motor cortex during the related movement of needling. These results are similar to those found in a previous study. The findings of this study may be useful in understanding the skill level of non-expert sewers by analyzing either the brain activity or changes in the muscle activity of the fingers.KeywordsNear infrared radiation spectroscopy (NIRS)sewingcortical activationmuscle activity and skill level