Pursuit Rotor Research Articles

Influence of Focus of Attention Instructions on Performance of Manual Tracking Task at Different Speeds

PURPOSE: Instructions are an essential part of skill acquisition. Previous research (Wulf, 2007; Porter, 2010) has established that external focus of attention instruction (EFI) supersedes that of internal focus of attention instruction (IFI) on performance of a specific task. Tenants of dynamics systems theory however, dictate that a resulting performance occurs through the most optimal performance subsystems. Thus, as the constraints placed on a task shift so too does the performance of the system. Previously, Porter (2011) demonstrated that time on task (TT) performance on a novel rotary pursuit tracking task, at 15 rpms, was greatest with EFI compared to IFI. When the constraints on the task are altered, such as movement speed, it was hypothesized that self-organization of the subsystems would reduce the influence of instructions on performance outcomes. METHODS: 18 subjects (mean age=26.4; f=6; m=12) performed 3 x 30 s trials of a rotary tracking task in three experimental conditions at 40 rpm. The three conditions were: control (C), IFI and EFI. Conditions were counterbalanced to prevent an order effect with trials being performed on separate days. Data was analyzed using a 2 way repeated measures ANOVA 3 (instruction) x 3 (trial). RESULTS: Main effects for instruction (F2, 34= 7.19, p=0.002) and trial (F2, 34= 16.58, p=0.001) were observed between conditions. Post hoc analysis with Bonferroni adjustment indicated that both IFI and EFI demonstrated more TT than C, but were not different than each other (C= 18.21 SE= .88; IF = 20.24 SE = 1.08; EF = 21.32 SE = .92). CONCLUSIONS: Previous research would predict that EFI instruction would have more TT than IFI instruction. However, as evidenced by no differences between IFI & EFI conditions suggests performance is more greatly influenced by task constraints than focus of attention instructions. These findings suggest that movement practitioners should consider task constraints as a performance variable in conjunction with instructional considerations.

Anodal Cerebellar Direct Current Stimulation Reduces Facilitation of Propriospinal Neurons in Healthy Humans.

Coordinated muscle synergies in the human upper limb are controlled, in part, by a neural distribution network located in the cervical spinal cord, known as the cervical propriospinal system. Studies in the cat and non-human primate indicate the cerebellum is indirectly connected to this system via output pathways to the brainstem. Therefore, the cerebellum may indirectly modulate excitability of putative propriospinal neurons (PNs) in humans during upper limb coordination tasks. This study aimed to test whether anodal direct current stimulation (DCS) of the cerebellum modulates PNs and upper limb coordination in healthy adults. The hypothesis was that cerebellar anodal DCS would reduce descending facilitation of PNs and improve upper limb coordination. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), paired with peripheral nerve stimulation, probed activity in facilitatory and inhibitory descending projections to PNs following an established protocol. Coordination was tested using a pursuit rotor task performed by the non-dominant (ipsilateral) hand. Anodal and sham DCS were delivered over the cerebellum ipsilateral to the non-dominant hand in separate experimental sessions. Anodal DCS was applied to a control site lateral to the vertex in a third session. Twelve right-handed healthy adults participated. Pairing TMS with sub-threshold peripheral nerve stimulation facilitated motor evoked potentials at intensities just above threshold in accordance with the protocol. Anodal cerebellar DCS reduced facilitation without influencing inhibition, but the reduction in facilitation was not associated with performance of the pursuit rotor task. The results of this study indicate dissociated indirect control over cervical PNs by the cerebellum in humans. Anodal DCS of the cerebellum reduced excitability in the facilitatory descending pathway with no effect on the inhibitory pathway to cervical PNs. The reduction in PN excitability is likely secondary to modulation of primary motor cortex or brainstem nuclei, and identifies a neuroanatomical pathway for the cerebellum to assist in coordination of upper limb muscle synergies in humans.

Practicing with gradual increases in contextual interference enhances visuomotor learning

The purpose of this study was to determine if practicing with gradual increases in contextual interference (CI) facilitated the learning of a continuous motor skill that required visuomotor tracking. We hypothesized the group that practiced with increasing amounts of CI would perform significantly better on a retention and transfer test compared to participants that practiced with blocked and random scheduling. A total of 78 participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups (i.e. Blocked, Increasing, Random). The level of CI was modified by varying the number of revolutions per minute (RPM) on a rotary pursuit tracker. Following the acquisition phase, participants returned after a 24-hour period and completed the 12-trial retention and transfer test. The results of statistical analysis indicated that all three groups improved their performance during practice. The posttest analysis indicated the Increasing group was better than the Blocked and Random groups on the retention and transfer test.

Reliability and validity of neurobehavioral function on the Psychology Experimental Building Language test battery in young adults.

Background. The Psychology Experiment Building Language (PEBL) software consists of over one-hundred computerized tests based on classic and novel cognitive neuropsychology and behavioral neurology measures. Although the PEBL tests are becoming more widely utilized, there is currently very limited information about the psychometric properties of these measures.Methods. Study I examined inter-relationships among nine PEBL tests including indices of motor-function (Pursuit Rotor and Dexterity), attention (Test of Attentional Vigilance and Time-Wall), working memory (Digit Span Forward), and executive-function (PEBL Trail Making Test, Berg/Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Iowa Gambling Test, and Mental Rotation) in a normative sample (N = 189, ages 18–22). Study II evaluated test–retest reliability with a two-week interest interval between administrations in a separate sample (N = 79, ages 18–22).Results. Moderate intra-test, but low inter-test, correlations were observed and ceiling/floor effects were uncommon. Sex differences were identified on the Pursuit Rotor (Cohen’s d = 0.89) and Mental Rotation (d = 0.31) tests. The correlation between the test and retest was high for tests of motor learning (Pursuit Rotor time on target r = .86) and attention (Test of Attentional Vigilance response time r = .79), intermediate for memory (digit span r = .63) but lower for the executive function indices (Wisconsin/Berg Card Sorting Test perseverative errors = .45, Tower of London moves = .15). Significant practice effects were identified on several indices of executive function.Conclusions. These results are broadly supportive of the reliability and validity of individual PEBL tests in this sample. These findings indicate that the freely downloadable, open-source PEBL battery (http://pebl.sourceforge.net) is a versatile research tool to study individual differences in neurocognitive performance.

Developmental dissociation between the maturation of procedural memory and declarative memory

Declarative memory and procedural memory are known to be two fundamentally different kinds of memory that are dissociable in their psychological characteristics and measurement (explicit vs. implicit) and in the neural systems that subserve each kind of memory. Declarative memory abilities are known to improve from childhood through young adulthood, but the developmental maturation of procedural memory is largely unknown. We compared 10-year-old children and young adults on measures of declarative memory and working memory capacity and on four measures of procedural memory that have been strongly dissociated from declarative memory (mirror tracing, rotary pursuit, probabilistic classification, and artificial grammar). Children had lesser declarative memory ability and lesser working memory capacity than adults, but children exhibited learning equivalent to adults on all four measures of procedural memory. Therefore, declarative memory and procedural memory are developmentally dissociable, with procedural memory being adult-like by age 10years and declarative memory continuing to mature into young adulthood.

Parietal damage impairs learning of a visuomotor tracking skill

This study evaluated the consequences of damage to the parietal lobe for learning a visuomotor tracking skill. Thirty subjects with a single unilateral brain lesion (13 with and 17 without parietal damage) and 23 demographically comparable healthy subjects performed the Rotary Pursuit task. For each group, time on target increased significantly across the four learning blocks. Subjects with parietal lesions had smaller improvements on the Rotary Pursuit from the 1st to the 4th block than subjects with lesions in other brain areas and healthy comparison subjects. The improvements on task performance from the 1st to the 2nd and from the 1st to the 3rd learning blocks were similar between groups. The parietal lobe appears to play an important role in the acquisition of a new visuomotor tracking skill, in particular during a relatively late phase of learning.

EFFECT OF ENERGY DRINKS ON SELECTED FINE MOTOR TASKS.

This study assessed the effect of energy shots on selected fine motor tasks. The participants were college-age male (n=19; M age=20.5 yr., SD=0.7) and female (n=21; M age=21.1 yr., SD=0.7) volunteers who were assessed on hand steadiness, choice reaction time, rotary pursuit, and simple reaction time. The energy shots group scored significantly poorer on the hand steadiness tests and significantly better on choice reaction time and simple reaction time tests. The enhanced reaction time and disruption in hand steadiness afforded by energy shots would not be apparent in many gross motor activities, but it is possible that reaction time improvement could be beneficial in sports that require quick, reflexive movements. However, the potential adverse psychological and physiological effects warrant discretionary use of such products.

English

Today, some researchers have focused on the impacts of new and easily applicable non-invasive methods on physical education. The purpose of this study is to examine the vibration-related acute change in rotary pursuit coordination performance soon after arm vibration. In the study, 27 students in School of Physical Education and Sport were divided randomly into two groups. In order to eliminate the effect of learning, vibration and non-vibration rotary pursuit test was applied to each group rotationally. Group 1 (ngroup1=14) was subjected to 4 rotary pursuit (40 s) tests each involving 3 vibration (30 s, 50 Hz, 2 mm) interventions. Two weeks later, the same participants were subjected to rotary pursuit tests with 30 s. rests instead of vibration interventions. Group 2 (ngroup2=13) first received the non-vibration test and then the vibration test in the same order. According to the results of repeated measure of ANOVA, a significant improvement (F(3,24)=9.08, p=0.00) was found in the rotary pursuit performance with vibration (1st: 28.28±5.21., 2nd:29.59±4.61, 3rd: 30.51±5.31, 4th: 31.42±4.29 s). A significant improvement was not found (F(3,24)=1.80, p=0.17) in the rotary pursuit coordination practice without vibration (1st: 27.42±4.80., 2nd:28.54±4.45, 3rd: 29.03±3.58, 4th: 28.60±4.21 s). The study revealed that acute hand vibration positively affected rotary pursuit coordination. This positive impact is considered to have originated from the reconstructive effect on the sense of joint position of acute vibration. It is believed that the results of this research might inform physical education teachers working on hand-eye coordination. Key words: Physical Education, coordination, vibration, intervention, rotary pursuit.

BDNF Val66Met is Associated With Performance in a Computerized Visual-Motor Tracking Test In Healthy Adults.

The brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene (BDNF) is known to play an important role in neuroplasticity and cognitive processes. We explored the association of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism with performance in a visual-motor tracking test. One hundred and sixty-seven young, healthy Colombian adults completed a computerized version of the Pursuit Rotor Task, using the Psychology Experiment Building Language (PEBL) platform. DNA genotyping was performed by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. We found that BDNF Val/Met and Met/Met subjects performed better in the pursuit rotor task (p = .03). Our findings suggest that the BDNF gene is essential to understand differences in motor performance in healthy participants in different populations. This approach could be useful for future fine mapping of genetic modifiers for neuropsychiatric diseases.

Untrivial Pursuit: Measuring Motor Procedures Learning in Children with Autism.

Numerous studies have underscored prevalence of motor impairments in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but only few of them have analyzed motor strategies exploited by ASD children when learning a new motor procedure. To evaluate motor procedure learning and performance strategies in both ASD and typically developing (TD) children, we built a virtual pursuit rotor (VPR) task, requiring tracking a moving target on a computer screen using a digitalized pen and tablet. Procedural learning was measured as increased time on target (TT) across blocks of trials on the same day and consolidation was assessed after a 24-hour rest. The program and the experimental setting (evaluated in a first experiment considering two groups of TD children) allowed also measures of continuous time on target (CTT), distance from target (DT) and distance from path (DP), as well as 2D reconstructions of children's trajectories. Results showed that the VPR was harder for children with ASD than for TD controls matched for chronological age and intelligence quotient, but both groups displayed comparable motor procedure learning (i.e., similarly incremented their TT). However, closer analysis of CTT, DT, and DP as well as 2D trajectories, showed different motor performance strategies in ASD, highlighting difficulties in overall actions planning. Data underscore the need for deeper investigations of motor strategies exploited by children with ASD when learning a new motor procedure.

Stable schizophrenia patients learn equally well as age-matched controls and better than elderly controls in two sensorimotor rotary pursuit tasks.

Objective: To compare sensorimotor performance and learning in stable schizophrenia patients, healthy age- and sex-matched controls and elderly controls on two variations of the rotary pursuit: circle pursuit (true motor learning) and figure pursuit (motor and sequence learning).Method: In the circle pursuit, a target circle, rotating with increasing speed along a predictable circular path on the computer screen, must be followed by a cursor controlled by a pen on a writing tablet. In the eight-trial figure pursuit, subjects learn to draw a complex figure by pursuing the target circle that moves along an invisible trajectory between and around several goals. Tasks were administered thrice (day 1, day 2, day 7) to 30 patients with stable schizophrenia (S), 30 healthy age- and sex-matched controls (C), and 30 elderly participants (>65 years; E) and recorded with a digitizing tablet and pressure-sensitive pen. The outcome measure accuracy (% of time that cursor is within the target) was used to assess performance.Results: We observed significant group differences in accuracy, both in circle and figure pursuit tasks (E < S < C, p < 0.01). Strong learning effects were found in each group. Learning curves were similar in circle pursuit but differed between groups in figure pursuit. When corrected for group differences in starting level, the learning gains over the three sessions of schizophrenia patients and age-matched controls were equal and both were larger than those of the elderly controls.Conclusion: Despite the reduced sensorimotor performance that was found in the schizophrenia patients, their sensorimotor learning seems to be preserved. The relevance of this finding for the evaluation of procedural learning in schizophrenia is discussed. The better performance and learning rate of the patients compared to the elderly controls was unexpected and deserves further study.

Effects of room acoustics on subjective workload assessment while performing dual tasks

This investigation examines the subjective workload assessments of individuals using the NASA Task Load Index (TLX), as they performed speech comprehension tests under assorted room acoustic conditions. This study was motivated due to the increasing diversity in US classrooms. Both native and non-native English listeners participated, using speech comprehension test materials produced by native English speakers in the first phase and by native Mandarin Chinese speakers in the second phase. The speech materials were disseminated in an immersive listening environment to each listener under 15 acoustic conditions, from combinations of background noise level (three levels from RC-30, 40, and 50) and reverberation time (five levels from 0.4 to 1.2 seconds). During each condition, participants completed assorted speech comprehension tasks while also tracing a moving dot for an adaptive rotor pursuit task. At the end of each acoustic condition, listeners were asked to assess the perceived workload by completing the six-item NASA TLX survey, e.g., mental demand, perceived performance, effort, and frustration. Results indicate that (1) listeners’ workload assessments degraded as the acoustic conditions became more adverse, and (2) the decrement in subjective assessment was greater for non-native listeners.

Effects of short-term experience on anticipatory eye movements during action observation.

Recent studies have shown that anticipatory eye movements occur during both action observation and action execution. These findings strongly support the direct matching hypothesis, which states that in observing others' actions, people take advantage of the same action knowledge that enables them to perform the same actions. Furthermore, a connection between action experience and the ability to anticipate action goals has been proposed. Concerning the role of experience, most studies concentrated on motor experts such as athletes and musicians, whereas only few studies investigated whether motor programs can be activated by short-term experience. Applying a pre-post design, we examined whether short-term experience affects anticipatory eye movements during observation. Participants (N = 150 university students) observed scenes showing an actor performing a block stacking task. Subsequently, participants performed either a block stacking task, puzzles, or a pursuit rotor task. Afterward, participants were again provided with the aforementioned block stacking task scenes. Results revealed that the block stacking task group directed their gaze significantly earlier toward the action goals of the block stacking task during posttest trials, compared with Puzzle and pursuit rotor task groups, which did not differ from each other. In accordance with the direct matching hypothesis, our study provides evidence that short-term experience with the block stacking task activates task-specific action knowledge.

Implicit learning in individuals with autism spectrum disorders: a meta-analysis.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are characterized by social communication difficulties and behavioural rigidity. Difficulties in learning from others are one of the most devastating features of this group of conditions. Nevertheless, the nature of learning difficulties in ASDs is still unclear. Given the relevance of implicit learning for social and communicative functioning, a link has been hypothesized between ASDs and implicit learning deficit. However, studies that have employed formal testing of implicit learning in ASDs provided mixed results. We undertook a systematic search of studies that examined implicit learning in ASDs using serial reaction time (SRT), alternating serial reaction time (ASRT), pursuit rotor (PR), and contextual cueing (CC) tasks, and synthesized the data using meta-analysis. A total of 11 studies were identified, representing data from 407 individuals with ASDs and typically developing comparison participants. The results indicate that individuals with ASDs do not differ in any task considered [SRT and ASRT task: standardized mean difference (SMD) -0.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.71 to 0.36; PR task: SMD -0.34, 95% CI -1.04 to 0.36; CC task: SMD 0.27, 95% CI -0.07 to 0.60]. Based on our synthesis of the existing literature, we conclude that individuals with ASDs can learn implicitly, supporting the hypothesis that implicit learning deficits do not represent a core feature in ASDs.

Altered synaptic plasticity in Tourette's syndrome and its relationship to motor skill learning.

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by motor and phonic tics that can be considered motor responses to preceding inner urges. It has been shown that Tourette patients have inferior performance in some motor learning tasks and reduced synaptic plasticity induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation. However, it has not been investigated whether altered synaptic plasticity is directly linked to impaired motor skill acquisition in Tourette patients. In this study, cortical plasticity was assessed by measuring motor-evoked potentials before and after paired associative stimulation in 14 Tourette patients (13 male; age 18–39) and 15 healthy controls (12 male; age 18–33). Tic and urge severity were assessed using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale and the Premonitory Urges for Tics Scale. Motor learning was assessed 45 minutes after inducing synaptic plasticity and 9 months later, using the rotary pursuit task. On average, long-term potentiation-like effects in response to the paired associative stimulation were present in healthy controls but not in patients. In Tourette patients, long-term potentiation-like effects were associated with more and long-term depression-like effects with less severe urges and tics. While motor learning did not differ between patients and healthy controls 45 minutes after inducing synaptic plasticity, the learning curve of the healthy controls started at a significantly higher level than the Tourette patients' 9 months later. Induced synaptic plasticity correlated positively with motor skills in healthy controls 9 months later. The present study confirms previously found long-term improvement in motor performance after paired associative stimulation in healthy controls but not in Tourette patients. Tourette patients did not show long-term potentiation in response to PAS and also showed reduced levels of motor skill consolidation after 9 months compared to healthy controls. Moreover, synaptic plasticity appears to be related to symptom severity.

Procedural Learning and Individual Differences in Language

The aim of the current study was to examine different aspects of procedural memory in young adults who varied with regard to their language abilities. We selected a sample of procedural memory tasks, each of which represented a unique type of procedural learning, and has been linked, at least partially, to the functionality of the corticostriatal system. The findings showed that variance in language abilities is associated with performance on different domains of procedural memory, including the motor domain (as shown in the pursuit rotor task), the cognitive domain (as shown in the weather prediction task), and the linguistic domain (as shown in the nonword repetition priming task). These results implicate the corticostriatal system in individual differences in language.

Resting-state cortical connectivity predicts motor skill acquisition

Many studies have examined brain states in an effort to predict individual differences in the capacity for learning, with overall moderate results. The present study investigated how measures of cortical network function acquired at rest using dense-array EEG (256 leads) predict subsequent acquisition of a new motor skill. Brain activity was recorded in 17 healthy young subjects during 3min of wakeful rest prior to a single motor skill training session on a digital version of the pursuit rotor task. Practice was associated with significant gains in task performance (% time on target increased from 24% to 41%, p<0.0001). Using a partial least squares regression (PLS) model, coherence with the region of the left primary motor area (M1) in resting EEG data was a strong predictor of motor skill acquisition (R2=0.81 in a leave-one-out cross-validation analysis), exceeding the information provided by baseline behavior and demographics. Within this PLS model, greater skill acquisition was predicted by higher connectivity between M1 and left parietal cortex, possibly reflecting greater capacity for visuomotor integration, and by lower connectivity between M1 and left frontal–premotor areas, possibly reflecting differences in motor planning strategies. EEG coherence, which reflects functional connectivity, predicts individual motor skill acquisition with a level of accuracy that is remarkably high compared to prior reports using EEG or fMRI measures.

Reduction in Cortical Activation in the Sensorimotor Cortex during Motor Skill Learning of a Pursuit Rotor Task: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

To investigate the cerebral mechanisms underlying learning of motor skills, we assessed serial changes of brain activation patterns during a pursuit rotor (PR) task in 12 right-handed healthy subjects using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The subjects performed the task with their right hand for 15-s, alternated with a 30-s rest period, for 18 repetitions (cycles 1 to 18). Gains in motor skill were evaluated by recording the time for which the stylus remained on the target. Performance improved with repetition of the task. Task-related increases of oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) were observed around the predicted location of the sensorimotor cortices on both hemispheres. The increased oxy-Hb levels appeared to reduce with repetition of the task in the channels covering the left sensorimotor area. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between PR task performance gain and the oxy-Hb signal in the left and right sensorimotor areas. Our results suggest that cortical activation in the sensorimotor cortex reflects changes in a number of factors including sensory feedback processing, correct motor commands, and perceptual or cognitive function during learning of a PR task. Therefore, changes in contralateral sensorimotor cortical activation may serve as a motor sequence learning biomarker for rehabilitation purposes or the prediction of recovery.

EPA-0445 – Procedural learning in stable schizophrenia patients compared to healthy young and elderly controls in two variations of the rotary pursuit.

To compare sensorimotor learning in stable schizophrenia patients, healthy age- and sex-matched controls and elderly controls in two variations of the classic Rotary Pursuit. In Circle Pursuit (true motor learning), a target circle, rotating along a predictable circular path on the computer screen, must be followed by manipulating the pen on the writing tablet. The task consists of two trials of six rotations each, with target speed gradually increasing. In the eight-trial Figure Pursuit (motor and sequence learning), subjects learn to draw a complex figure by following a target circle that moves at a fixed speed along an invisible trajectory around several goals. Tasks were administered thrice (interval 2-7days) to 32 stable schizophrenia patients (S), 16 healthy age- and sex-matched controls (Y) and 16 elderly controls (>65y; E) and recorded with a digitizing tablet and pressuresensitive pen (200Hz frequency; 0.2mm spatial accuracy). Learning speed was assessed in a repeated-measures ANOVA of outcome variable accuracy (% of time cursor is within target). All groups exhibited learning effects and significant group differences in accuracy existed (E<S<Y, p<0.01) in both tasks. However, within-subject analyses revealed a significant effect of group*trial number (p<0.01) and group*session (p0.02) only in Figure Pursuit, indicating a significant difference in learning between groups in this task. In our Pursuit continuous sensorimotor task, group differences exist between schizophrenia patients and elderly and young healthy controls. When a sequence learning component is added (Figure Pursuit), there is also significant difference in the amount of learning.

An investigation of the effects of antiretroviral central nervous system penetration effectiveness on procedural learning in HIV+ drug users

Treatment with combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) regimens with a high capacity to penetrate the blood–brain barrier has been associated with lower levels of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the central nervous system (CNS). This study examined neurocognitive performance among a sample of 118 HIV+ substance-dependent individuals (SDIs) and 310 HIV– SDIs. HIV+ participants were prescribed cART regimens with varying capacity to penetrate the CNS as indexed by the revised CNS Penetration Effectiveness (CPE) scale. Participants completed the Rotary Pursuit Task (RPT) and the Weather Prediction Task (WPT)—two measures of procedural learning (PL) with known sensitivity to HIV infection—and a control task of sustained attention. HIV+ SDIs prescribed cART with relatively high CNS penetrance performed significantly more poorly on both tasks than HIV– controls. Task performance of HIV+ SDIs prescribed cART with relatively low CNS penetrance did not differ significantly from either HIV– controls or the HIV+/high CPE group, although a trend toward lower RPT performance than that of HIV– participants was observed. Between-group differences were not seen on a control task of motor impulsivity (Immediate Memory Task), indicating that the observed deficits among HIV+/high CPE SDIs may have some specificity.