Abstract
To explore the effects of practice we scanned participants with fMRI while they were performing four-key unfamiliar and familiar sequences, and compared the associated activities relative to simple control sequences. On the basis of a recent cognitive model of sequential motor behavior (C-SMB), we propose that the observed neural activity would be associated with three functional networks that can operate in parallel and that allow (a) responding to stimuli in a reaction mode, (b) sequence execution using spatial sequence representations in a central-symbolic mode, and (c) sequence execution using motor chunk representations in a chunking mode. On the basis of this model and findings in the literature, we predicted which neural areas would be active during execution of the unfamiliar and familiar keying sequences. The observed neural activities were largely in line with our predictions, and allowed functions to be attributed to the active brain areas that fit the three above functional systems. The results corroborate C-SMB’s assumption that at advanced skill levels the systems executing motor chunks and translating key-specific stimuli are racing to trigger individual responses. They further support recent behavioral indications that spatial sequence representations continue to be used.
Highlights
An important current research issue concerns the way in which people control habitual movement sequences like writing one’s signature and typing one’s name
We recently reported data from an fMRI study showing that timing in new four-key Discrete Sequence Production (DSP) sequences relies on a cortico-cerebellar network (Jouen et al, 2013)
On the basis of cognitive model of sequential motor behavior (C-SMB), we propose that (a) the neural activity observed when unfamiliar sequences are executed reveals the neural substrate of reacting to key-specific stimuli as well as using central-symbolic representations, and that (b) the neural activity during execution of the familiar sequences shows the neural areas involved in executing motor chunk representations and, again, reacting to key-specific stimuli
Summary
An important current research issue concerns the way in which people control habitual movement sequences like writing one’s signature and typing one’s name Over the years, this issue has been addressed with numerous behavioral and imaging studies (for recent reviews, see Abrahamse, Ruitenberg, De Kleine, & Verwey, 2013; Ashby, Turner, & Horvitz, 2010; Diedrichsen & Kornysheva, 2015; Hardwick, Rottschy, Miall, & Eickhoff, 2013; Keele, Ivry, Mayr, Hazeltine, & Heuer, 2003; Penhune, 2013; Penhune & Steele, 2012; Verwey, Shea, & Wright, 2015). Unlike many other motor tasks, the DSP task lends itself to scrutiny in MRI scanners because it involves movements that give little motion artefacts
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