Abstract
The gold standard to acquire motor skills is through intensive training and practicing. Recent studies have demonstrated that behavioral gains can also be acquired by mere exposure to repetitive sensory stimulation to drive the plasticity processes. Single application of repetitive electric stimulation (rES) of the fingers has been shown to improve tactile perception in young adults as well as sensorimotor performance in healthy elderly individuals. The combination of repetitive motor training with a preceding rES has not been reported yet. In addition, the impact of such a training on somatosensory tactile and spatial sensitivity as well as on somatosensory cortical activation remains elusive. Therefore, we tested 15 right-handed participants who underwent repetitive electric stimulation of all finger tips of the left hand for 20 minutes prior to one hour of motor training of the left hand over the period of two weeks. Overall, participants substantially improved the motor performance of the left trained hand by 34%, but also showed a relevant transfer to the untrained right hand by 24%. Baseline ipsilateral activation fMRI-magnitude in BA 1 to sensory index finger stimulation predicted training outcome for somatosensory guided movements: those who showed higher ipsilateral activation were those who did profit less from training. Improvement of spatial tactile discrimination was positively associated with gains in pinch grip velocity. Overall, a combination of priming rES and repetitive motor training is capable to induce motor and somatosensory performance increase and representation changes in BA1 in healthy young subjects.
Highlights
Training-independent sensory learning protocols have been introduced in order to find alternative approaches to motor training to drive changes on human perception and behavior
Following a single application of Repetitive electric stimulation (rES), individual gains of tactile discrimination were correlated with expansion of blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signals in primary somatosensory cortex (SI) indicating a close link between changes in early sensory areas and overall perceptual performance [5]. rES is effective in elderly individuals thereby resetting the agerelated decline of tactile discrimination [6]
For the first task of the Roeder Manipulative Aptitude Test similar effects of factors TIME (F1,14 = 61.22; P,0.001;) and HAND (F1,14 = 79.95; P,0.001) were observed, with the right hand at all times performing at a higher level than the left and with both hands increasing performance speed over time
Summary
Training-independent sensory learning protocols have been introduced in order to find alternative approaches to motor training to drive changes on human perception and behavior. The effectiveness of such forms of training-independent sensory learning has been demonstrated in different sensory domains. Repetitive electric stimulation (rES) of the fingers is a form of training-independent sensory learning and has been demonstrated to improve tactile perceptual abilities [3,4] and to drive plasticity processes. Following a single application of rES, individual gains of tactile discrimination were correlated with expansion of blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signals in primary somatosensory cortex (SI) indicating a close link between changes in early sensory areas and overall perceptual performance [5]. Because of its effectiveness and its ease of use, rES is currently applied in patients after stroke or brain lesion
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
