Sensorimotor Modalities Research Articles

Flexible encoding of multiple task dimensions in human cerebral cortex

IntroductionCognitive models have proposed that behavioral tasks can be categorized along at least three dimensions: the sensory-motor modality of the information, its representational format (e.g., location vs. identity), and the cognitive processes that transform it (e.g., response selection). Moreover, we can quickly and flexibly encode, represent, or manipulate information along any of these dimensions. How is this flexibility in encoding such information implemented in the cerebral cortex?MethodsTo address this question, we devised a series of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments in each of which participants performed two distinct tasks that differed along one of the three dimensions.ResultsUsing multivariate pattern analysis of the fMRI data, we were able to decode between tasks along at least one task dimension within each of the cortical regions activated by these tasks. Moreover, the multiple demand network, a system of brain regions previously associated with flexible task encoding, was largely composed of closely juxtaposed sets of voxels that were specialized along each of the three tested task dimensions.DiscussionThese results suggest that flexible task encoding is primarily achieved by the juxtaposition of specialized representations processing each task dimension in the multiple demand network.

Audiovisual biofeedback amplifies plantarflexor adaptation during walking among children with cerebral palsy

BackgroundBiofeedback is a promising noninvasive strategy to enhance gait training among individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). Commonly, biofeedback systems are designed to guide movement correction using audio, visual, or sensorimotor (i.e., tactile or proprioceptive) cues, each of which has demonstrated measurable success in CP. However, it is currently unclear how the modality of biofeedback may influence user response which has significant implications if systems are to be consistently adopted into clinical care.MethodsIn this study, we evaluated the extent to which adolescents with CP (7M/1F; 14 [12.5,15.5] years) adapted their gait patterns during treadmill walking (6 min/modality) with audiovisual (AV), sensorimotor (SM), and combined AV + SM biofeedback before and after four acclimation sessions (20 min/session) and at a two-week follow-up. Both biofeedback systems were designed to target plantarflexor activity on the more-affected limb, as these muscles are commonly impaired in CP and impact walking function. SM biofeedback was administered using a resistive ankle exoskeleton and AV biofeedback displayed soleus activity from electromyography recordings during gait. At every visit, we measured the time-course response to each biofeedback modality to understand how the rate and magnitude of gait adaptation differed between modalities and following acclimation.ResultsParticipants significantly increased soleus activity from baseline using AV + SM (42.8% [15.1, 59.6]), AV (28.5% [19.2, 58.5]), and SM (10.3% [3.2, 15.2]) biofeedback, but the rate of soleus adaptation was faster using AV + SM biofeedback than either modality alone. Further, SM-only biofeedback produced small initial increases in plantarflexor activity, but these responses were transient within and across sessions (p > 0.11). Following multi-session acclimation and at the two-week follow-up, responses to AV and AV + SM biofeedback were maintained.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that AV biofeedback was critical to increase plantarflexor engagement during walking, but that combining AV and SM modalities further amplified the rate of gait adaptation. Beyond improving our understanding of how individuals may differentially prioritize distinct forms of afferent information, outcomes from this study may inform the design and selection of biofeedback systems for use in clinical care.

Whisker kinematics in the cerebellum.

The whisker system is widely used as a model system for understanding sensorimotor integration. Purkinje cells in the crus regions of the cerebellum have been reported to linearly encode whisker midpoint, but it is unknown whether the paramedian and simplex lobules as well as their target neurons in the cerebellar nuclei also encode whisker kinematics and if so which ones. Elucidating how these kinematics are represented throughout the cerebellar hemisphere is essential for understanding how the cerebellum coordinates multiple sensorimotor modalities. Exploring the cerebellar hemisphere of mice using optogenetic stimulation, we found that whisker movements can be elicited by stimulation of Purkinje cells in not only crus1 and crus2, but also in the paramedian lobule and lobule simplex; activation of cells in the medial paramedian lobule had on average the shortest latency, whereas that of cells in lobule simplex elicited similar kinematics as those in crus1 and crus2. During spontaneous whisking behaviour, simple spike activity correlated in general better with velocity than position of the whiskers, but it varied between protraction and retraction as well as per lobule. The cerebellar nuclei neurons targeted by the Purkinje cells showed similar activity patterns characterized by a wide variety of kinematic signals, yet with a dominance for velocity. Taken together, our data indicate that whisker movements are much more prominently and diversely represented in the cerebellar cortex and nuclei than assumed, highlighting the rich repertoire of cerebellar control in the kinematics of movements that can be engaged during coordination. KEY POINTS: Excitation of Purkinje cells throughout the cerebellar hemispheres induces whisker movement, with the shortest latency and longest duration within the paramedian lobe. Purkinje cells have differential encoding for the fast and slow components of whisking. Purkinje cells encode not only the position but also the velocity of whiskers. Purkinje cells with high sensitivity for whisker velocity are preferentially located in the medial part of lobule simplex, crus1 and lateral paramedian. In the downstream cerebellar nuclei, neurons with high sensitivity for whisker velocity are located at the intersection between the medial and interposed nucleus.

Information-theory analysis of mouse string-pulling agrees with Fitts’s Law: Increasing task difficulty engages multiple sensorimotor modalities in a dual oscillator behavior

Mouse string pulling, in which a mouse reels in a string with hand-over-hand movements, can provide insights into skilled motor behavior, neurological status, and cognitive function. The task involves two oscillatory movements connected by a string. The snout oscillates to track the pendulum movement of the string produced by hand-over-hand oscillations of pulling, and so the snout guides the hands to grasp the string. The present study examines the allocation of time required to pull strings of varying diameter. Movement is also described with end-point measures, string-pulling topography with 2D markerless pose estimates based on transfer learning with deep neural networks, and Mat-lab image-segmentation and heuristic algorithms for object tracking. With reduced string diameter, mice took longer to pull 60 cm long strings. They also made more pulling cycles, misses, and mouth engagements, and displayed changes in the amplitude and frequency of pull cycles. The time measures agree with Fitts’s law in showing that increased task difficulty slows behavior and engages multiple compensatory sensorimotor modalities. The analysis reveals that time is a valuable resource in skilled motor behavior and information-theory can serve as a measure of its effective use.

Analysis two types of K complexes on the human EEG based on classical continuous wavelet transform

In our work, we compare EEG time-frequency features for two types of K-complexes detected in volunteers performing the monotonous psychomotor test with their eyes closed. Type I K-complexes preceded spontaneous awakenings, while after type II K-complexes, subjects continued to sleep at least for 10 s after. The total number of K-complexes in the group of 18 volunteers was 646, of which of which type I K-complexes was 150 and type II K-complexes was 496. Time-frequency analysis was performed using continuous wavelet transform. EEG wavelet spectral power was averaged upon several brain zones for each of the classical frequency ranges (slow wave, δ, θ, α, β1, β2, γ bands). The low-frequency oscillatory activity ( δ-band) preceding type I K-complexes was asymmetrical and most prominent in the left hemisphere. Statistically significant differences were obtained by averaging over the left and right hemispheres, as well as projections of the motor area of the brain, p<0.05. The maximal differences between the types I and II of K-complexes were demonstrated in δ-, θ-bands in the occipital and posterior temporal regions. The high amplitude of the motor cortex projection response in β2-band, [20;30] Hz, related to the sensory-motor modality of task in monotonous psychomotor test. The δ-oscillatory activity preceding type I K-complexes was asymmetrical and most prominent in the left hemisphere may be due to the important role of the left hemisphere in spontaneous awakening from sleep during monotonous work, which is an interesting issue for future research.

God in body and space: Investigating the sensorimotor grounding of abstract concepts.

concepts are defined as concepts that cannot be experienced directly through the sensorimotor modalities. Explaining our understanding of such concepts poses a challenge to neurocognitive models of knowledge. One account of how these concepts come to be represented is that sensorimotor representations of grounded experiences are reactivated in a way that is constitutive of the abstract concept. In the present experiment, we investigated how sensorimotor information might constitute GOD-related concepts, and whether a person's self-reported religiosity modulated this grounding. To do so, we manipulated both the state of the body (i.e., kneeling vs. sitting) and the state of stimuli (i.e., spatial position on the screen) in two tasks that required conceptual categorization of abstract words. Linear Mixed Effects model fitting procedures were used to determine which manipulated factors best predicted response latency and accuracy in both tasks. We successfully replicated previous research demonstrating faster categorization of GOD-related words when they were presented at the top of the screen. Importantly, results demonstrated that the kneeling posture manipulation enhanced this effect, as did religiosity, as participants who scored higher in religiosity showed a greater effect of the posture manipulation on the speed with which word categorization occurred when those words were presented in the higher visuospatial presentation condition. Overall, we interpreted our findings to suggest that directly manipulating sensorimotor information can facilitate the categorization of abstract concepts, supporting the notion that this information in part constitutes the representation of abstract concepts.

Coordination between Eye Movement and Whisking in Head-Fixed Mice Navigating a Plus Maze.

Navigation through complex environments requires motor planning, motor preparation, and the coordination between multiple sensory–motor modalities. For example, the stepping motion when we walk is coordinated with motion of the torso, arms, head, and eyes. In rodents, movement of the animal through the environment is coordinated with whisking. Even head-fixed mice navigating a plus maze position their whiskers asymmetrically with the bilateral asymmetry signifying the upcoming turn direction. Here we report that, in addition to moving their whiskers, on every trial mice also move their eyes conjugately in the direction of the upcoming turn. Not only do mice move their eyes, but they coordinate saccadic eye movement with the asymmetric positioning of the whiskers. Our analysis shows that asymmetric positioning of whiskers predicted the turn direction that mice will make at an earlier stage than eye movement. Consistent with these results, our observations also revealed that whisker asymmetry increases before saccadic eye movement. Importantly, this work shows that when rodents plan for active behavior, their motor plans can involve both eye and whisker movement. We conclude that, when mice are engaged in and moving through complex real-world environments, their behavioral state can be read out in the movement of both their whiskers and eyes.

Emerging ASL Distinctions in Sign-Speech Bilinguals' Signs and Co-speech Gestures in Placement Descriptions.

Previous work on placement expressions (e.g., “she put the cup on the table”) has demonstrated cross-linguistic differences in the specificity of placement expressions in the native language (L1), with some languages preferring more general, widely applicable expressions and others preferring more specific expressions based on more fine-grained distinctions. Research on second language (L2) acquisition of an additional spoken language has shown that learning the appropriate L2 placement distinctions poses a challenge for adult learners whose L2 semantic representations can be non-target like and have fuzzy boundaries. Unknown is whether similar effects apply to learners acquiring a L2 in a different sensory-motor modality, e.g., hearing learners of a sign language. Placement verbs in signed languages tend to be highly iconic and to exhibit transparent semantic boundaries. This may facilitate acquisition of signed placement verbs. In addition, little is known about how exposure to different semantic boundaries in placement events in a typologically different language affects lexical semantic meaning in the L1. In this study, we examined placement event descriptions (in American Sign Language (ASL) and English) in hearing L2 learners of ASL who were native speakers of English. L2 signers' ASL placement descriptions looked similar to those of two Deaf, native ASL signer controls, suggesting that the iconicity and transparency of placement distinctions in the visual modality may facilitate L2 acquisition. Nevertheless, L2 signers used a wider range of handshapes in ASL and used them less appropriately, indicating that fuzzy semantic boundaries occur in cross-modal L2 acquisition as well. In addition, while the L2 signers' English verbal expressions were not different from those of a non-signing control group, placement distinctions expressed in co-speech gesture were marginally more ASL-like for L2 signers, suggesting that exposure to different semantic boundaries can cause changes to how placement is conceptualized in the L1 as well.

Observer's body posture affects processing of other humans' actions.

Action observation triggers by default a mental simulation of action unfolding in time. We assumed that this simulation is "embodied": the body is the medium through which observer's sensorimotor modalities simulate the observed action. The participants in two experiments observed videos, each depicting the central part of an action performed by an actress on an object (e.g., answering the phone) and soon after each video they observed a photo portraying a state of the action not observed in the video, either depicting the initial part or the final part of the whole action. Their task was to evaluate whether the photo portrayed something before (backward photo) or after the action in the video (forward photo). Results showed that evaluation of forward photos was faster than evaluation of backward photos (Experiment 1). Crucially, participants' body posture modulated this effect: keeping the hands crossed behind the back interfered with forward simulations (Experiment 2). These results speak about the role of the observer's body posture in processing other people's actions.

Individual optimization of risky decisions in duration and distance estimations

Many everyday decisions require an accurate perception of how much time has passed since a previous event. Although humans estimate time intervals with a high degree of mean accuracy, the precision of estimations varies greatly between individuals. In situations in which accurate timing is rewarded but responding too early is punished, the optimal amount of risk is directly dependent on the precision of the timer. Previously, it was found that humans and rodents displayed near-optimal adjustment of their mean response time based on their individual precision and the level of punishment. It is as of yet unknown whether these strategies of optimality in interval timing are specific to the timing domain, or instead reflect an ability that generalizes to other sensorimotor modalities of decision making. Here, we address this by combining a temporal reproduction experiment and a distance estimation experiment with an identical reward scheme. We found that participants approached optimality in both tasks, but generally underadjusted their responses in the face of high risk. As this individual adjustment was consistent over modalities, these results can best be explained by assuming that the adjustment of behavior towards optimal performance is driven by a modality independent mechanism.

Crossmodal Language Grounding in an Embodied Neurocognitive Model.

Human infants are able to acquire natural language seemingly easily at an early age. Their language learning seems to occur simultaneously with learning other cognitive functions as well as with playful interactions with the environment and caregivers. From a neuroscientific perspective, natural language is embodied, grounded in most, if not all, sensory and sensorimotor modalities, and acquired by means of crossmodal integration. However, characterizing the underlying mechanisms in the brain is difficult and explaining the grounding of language in crossmodal perception and action remains challenging. In this paper, we present a neurocognitive model for language grounding which reflects bio-inspired mechanisms such as an implicit adaptation of timescales as well as end-to-end multimodal abstraction. It addresses developmental robotic interaction and extends its learning capabilities using larger-scale knowledge-based data. In our scenario, we utilize the humanoid robot NICO in obtaining the EMIL data collection, in which the cognitive robot interacts with objects in a children's playground environment while receiving linguistic labels from a caregiver. The model analysis shows that crossmodally integrated representations are sufficient for acquiring language merely from sensory input through interaction with objects in an environment. The representations self-organize hierarchically and embed temporal and spatial information through composition and decomposition. This model can also provide the basis for further crossmodal integration of perceptually grounded cognitive representations.

White matter basis for the hub-and-spoke semantic representation: evidence from semantic dementia.

The hub-and-spoke semantic representation theory posits that semantic knowledge is processed in a neural network, which contains an amodal hub, the sensorimotor modality-specific regions, and the connections between them. The exact neural basis of the hub, regions and connectivity remains unclear. Semantic dementia could be an ideal lesion model to construct the semantic network as this disease presents both amodal and modality-specific semantic processing (e.g. colour) deficits. The goal of the present study was to identify, using an unbiased data-driven approach, the semantic hub and its general and modality-specific semantic white matter connections by investigating the relationship between the lesion degree of the network and the severity of semantic deficits in 33 patients with semantic dementia. Data of diffusion-weighted imaging and behavioural performance in processing knowledge of general semantic and six sensorimotor modalities (i.e. object form, colour, motion, sound, manipulation and function) were collected from each subject. Specifically, to identify the semantic hub, we mapped the white matter nodal degree value (a graph theoretical index) of the 90 regions in the automated anatomical labelling atlas with the general semantic abilities of the patients. Of the regions, only the left fusiform gyrus was identified as the hub because its structural connectivity strength (i.e. nodal degree value) could significantly predict the general semantic processing of the patients. To identify the general and modality-specific semantic connections of the semantic hub, we separately correlated the white matter integrity values of each tract connected with the left fusiform gyrus, with the performance for general semantic processing and each of six semantic modality processing. The results showed that the hub region worked in concert with nine other regions in the semantic memory network for general semantic processing. Moreover, the connection between the hub and the left calcarine was associated with colour-specific semantic processing. The observed effects could not be accounted for by potential confounding variables (e.g. total grey matter volume, regional grey matter volume and performance on non-semantic control tasks). Our findings refine the neuroanatomical structure of the semantic network and underline the critical role of the left fusiform gyrus and its connectivity in the network.

Embodied memories: Reviewing the role of the body in memory processes.

This review aims at exploring the role of the body and its sensorimotor processes in memory. Recent theories have suggested that memories can profitably be seen as mental simulations consisting in the reactivation of sensorimotor patterns originally associated with events at encoding, rather than amodal mental representations. The sensorimotor model of memory (SMM) claims that the body is the medium where (and through which) sensorimotor modalities actually simulate the somatosensory components of remembered events, and predicts that memory processes can be manipulated through manipulation of the body. The review analyzes experimental evidence in favor of the SMM and the claim that the body is at stake in memory processes. The review then highlights how, at the current state of research, the majority of this evidence concerns the effect of body manipulations on memory processes rather than memory representations. It considers the need for a more circumstantial outline of the actual extent to which the body is capable of affecting memory, specifically on some important areas still unexplored, such as the sense of recollection. Resulting strengths and limitations of the SMM are discussed in relation to the more general debate on the embodied cognition.

Effects of Early Language Deprivation on Brain Connectivity: Language Pathways in Deaf Native and Late First-Language Learners of American Sign Language.

Previous research has identified ventral and dorsal white matter tracts as being crucial for language processing; their maturation correlates with increased language processing capacity. Unknown is whether the growth or maintenance of these language-relevant pathways is shaped by language experience in early life. To investigate the effects of early language deprivation and the sensory-motor modality of language on white matter tracts, we examined the white matter connectivity of language-relevant pathways in congenitally deaf people with or without early access to language. We acquired diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data from two groups of individuals who experienced language from birth, twelve deaf native signers of American Sign Language, and twelve hearing L2 signers of ASL (native English speakers), and from three, well-studied individual cases who experienced minimal language during childhood. The results indicate that the sensory-motor modality of early language experience does not affect the white matter microstructure between crucial language regions. Both groups with early language experience, deaf and hearing, show leftward laterality in the two language-related tracts. However, all three cases with early language deprivation showed altered white matter microstructure, especially in the left dorsal arcuate fasciculus (AF) pathway.

Sensory-motor modality compatibility in multitasking: The influence of processing codes

Sensory-motor modality compatibility is defined as the similarity between the sensory modality and the modality of response-related effects. Previous dual-task and task-switching studies have shown higher performance costs for coordinating relatively incompatible sensory-motor modality mappings (i.e., auditory-manual and visual-vocal) compared to more compatible mappings (i.e., auditory-vocal and visual-manual). Until now, however, little attention has been paid to potential variability in effects of modality compatibility depending on different processing codes. In the present study, we independently varied the processing codes of input and output (nonverbal-spatial, nonverbal-nominal, verbal-spatial, verbal-nominal) while participants switched between incompatible and compatible sensory-motor modality mappings. Beside higher switch costs for switching between incompatible sensory-motor modality mappings than for switching between compatible mappings, the results revealed stronger effects of modality compatibility on switch costs for verbal input than for nonverbal input codes. This suggests that priming mechanisms between sensory input and compatible motor output are modulated by the processing code of the sensory input. As possible explanations, we assume a higher degree of concordance with output processing codes as well as stronger associations with potential response effects for verbal than for nonverbal input.

Reference tracking in early stages of different modality L2 acquisition: Limited over-explicitness in novice ASL signers' referring expressions.

Previous research on reference tracking has revealed a tendency towards over-explicitness in second language (L2) learners. Only limited evidence exists that this trend extends to situations where the learner's first and second languages do not share a sensory-motor modality. Using a story-telling paradigm, this study examined how hearing novice L2 learners accomplish reference tracking in American Sign Language (ASL), and whether they transfer strategies from gesture. Our results revealed limited evidence of over-explicitness. Instead there was an overall similarity in the L2 learners' reference tracking to that of a native signer control group, even in the use of lexical nominals, pronouns and zero anaphora - areas where research on spoken L2 reference tracking predicts differences. Our data also revealed, however, that L2 learners have problems with the referential value of ASL classifiers, and with target-like use of zero anaphora from different verb types, as well as spatial modification. This suggests that over-explicitness occurs in the early stages of different modality L2 acquisition to a limited extent. We found no evidence of gestural transfer. Finally, we found that L2 learners reintroduce more than native signers, which could indicate that they, unlike native signers are not yet capable of utilizing the affordances of the visual modality to reference multiple entities simultaneously.

Dual-task automatization: The key role of sensory-motor modality compatibility.

How do people automatize their dual-task performance through bottleneck bypassing (i.e., accomplish parallel processing of the central stages of two tasks)? In the present work we addressed this question, evaluating the impact of sensory-motor modality compatibility-the similarity in modality between the stimulus and the consequences of the response. We hypothesized that incompatible sensory-motor modalities (e.g., visual-vocal) create conflicts within modality-specific working memory subsystems, and therefore predicted that tasks producing such conflicts would be performed less automatically after practice. To probe for automaticity, we used a transfer psychological refractory period (PRP) procedure: Participants were first trained on a visual task (Exp. 1) or an auditory task (Exp. 2) by itself, which was later presented as Task 2, along with an unpracticed Task 1. The Task 1-Task 2 sensory-motor modality pairings were either compatible (visual-manual and auditory-vocal) or incompatible (visual-vocal and auditory-manual). In both experiments we found converging indicators of bottleneck bypassing (small dual-task interference and a high rate of response reversals) for compatible sensory-motor modalities, but indicators of bottlenecking (large dual-task interference and few response reversals) for incompatible sensory-motor modalities. Relatedly, the proportion of individuals able to bypass the bottleneck was high for compatible modalities but very low for incompatible modalities. We propose that dual-task automatization is within reach when the tasks rely on codes that do not compete within a working memory subsystem.

The role of learning in sensory-motor modality switching.

Previous research has indicated that modality switching is considerably affected by modality compatibility. It has been shown that switch costs are higher for switching between relatively incompatible sensory-motor modality mappings (i.e., auditory-manual and visual-vocal) compared to switching between compatible mappings (i.e., auditory-vocal and visual-manual). So far, however, it has been unclear whether these findings are influenced by learning processes resulting from very small stimulus sets and a large number of stimulus repetitions. In the present study, we investigated the role of learning concept-to-category associations (Experiment 1) as well as influences of learning concept-to-modality mappings (Experiment 2) on sensory-motor modality switching in semantic categorizations. The results of both experiments revealed shorter overall reaction times due to learning. Additionally, learning of concept-to-category associations (Experiment 1) led to a significant reduction of modality switch costs. Interestingly, however, modality-compatibility effects were neither significantly influenced by learning of concept-to-category associations nor by learning of concept-to-modality mappings. Thus, the present study provides first evidence that learning on the semantic level influences modality switching but it does not significantly affect modality compatibility.

Shared somatosensory and motor functions in musicians.

Skilled individuals are characterized by fine-tuned perceptual and motor functions. Here, we tested the idea that the sensory and motor functions of highly-trained individuals are coupled. We assessed the relationships among multifaceted somatosensory and motor functions of expert pianists. The results demonstrated a positive covariation between the acuity of weight discrimination and the precision of force control during piano keystrokes among the pianists but not among the non-musicians. However, neither the age of starting musical training nor the total amount of life-long piano practice was correlated with these sensory-motor functions in the pianists. Furthermore, a difference between the pianists and non-musicians was absent for the weight discrimination acuity but present for precise force control during keystrokes. The results suggest that individuals with innately superior sensory function had finer motor control only in a case of having undergone musical training. Intriguingly, the tactile spatial acuity of the fingertip was superior in the pianists compared with the non-musicians but was not correlated with any functions representing fine motor control among the pianists. The findings implicate the presence of two distinct mechanisms of sensorimotor learning elicited by musical training, which occur either independently in individual sensorimotor modalities or through interacting between modalities.

Postoperative Treatment of Distal Radius Fractures Using Sensorimotor Therapy

Objective/Hypothesis: Proprioception and sensorimotor modalities have been used in rehabilitation to treat neurological and joint injuries. Following distal radius fractures (DRF), there is a temporary sensorimotor loss that should be addressed during postoperative therapy. We designed an evaluation and treatment protocol aimed at sensorimotor evaluation and treatment and trialed it on a pilot series of patients following surgery for DRF. The purpose of this prospective study was to compare the outcomes of patients following surgery for DRF treated using our specific sensorimotor treatment protocol with patients treated after surgery according to postoperative standard of care. We hypothesized that patients treated using our treatment protocol will have better functional results at 3 months postsurgery. Methods: Because sensorimotor response loops are complex and it is difficult to isolate the effect of the different types of input, both the evaluation and the treatment protocols included a comprehensive sensorimotor panel. The patients were treated once a week in therapy and pursued a home therapy protocol. Thirty-four patients following surgery for DRF were randomized into a focused sensorimotor postoperative protocol and the standard of care protocol. Exclusion criteria included inability to attend therapy or comply with the home therapy protocol and patients with preceding injuries and deficits in the wrist and hand. Patients were evaluated initially in the first days after the operation, at 6 weeks, and at 4 months postsurgery. Results: All patients following surgery for DRF demonstrated similar initial significant deficits in proprioception (72%), stereognosis (36%), and the Moberg pick-up test (30 seconds vs 10.8 seconds). There was documented sensorimotor and functional improvement in both groups with treatment in range of motion (ROM), strength, and sensorimotor testing. The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score was 10.8 (14.2) in the trial group at 3 months and 29.2 (9.6) in the control group P = .05. Wrist ROM at 3 months was significantly better in the trial group ( P = .003). We had no cases of chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Conclusions: (1) Patients after surgery for DRF demonstrate significant sensorimotor deficits that should be evaluated and addressed in therapy. (2) These deficits and function seem to improve more at 3 months when utilizing a comprehensive sensorimotor treatment protocol. (3) Further study is ongoing to evaluate the value of the treatment protocol and to provide sensorimotor therapeutic guidelines following surgery for DRF.