Throwing Task Research Articles

Changes of upper-limb kinematics during practice of a redundant motor task in patients with Parkinson’s disease

The ability to learn novel motor skills is essential for patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) to regain activities of daily living. However, the underlying mechanisms of motor learning in PD remain unclear. To identify motor features that are distinctively manifested in PD during motor learning, we quantified a rich set of variables reflecting various aspects of the learning process in a virtual throwing task. While the performance outcome improved similarly over 3 days of practice for both PD patients and age-matched controls, further analysis revealed distinct learning processes between the two groups. PD patients initially performed with a slow release velocity and gradually increased it as practice progressed, whereas the control group began with an unnecessarily rapid release velocity, which they later stabilized at a lower value. Performance characteristics related to the timing of ball release and the inter-release interval did not show significant group differences, although they were modulated across practice in both groups. After one week, both groups retained the performance outcomes and underlying kinematics developed over practice. This study underscores the importance of analyzing the multi-faceted learning process to characterize motor skill learning in PD. The findings may provide insights into PD pathophysiology and inform rehabilitation strategies.

Effect of self-movement on visually directed throwing: Implications for distance perception

ABSTRACT This study investigated how running on a treadmill influences the accuracy of throwing a ball to a hoop. Based upon previous research carried out in an open field that demonstrates that targets are perceived further away when running on a treadmill compared to when standing, we examined if this effect persisted in a visually directed throwing task. Fourteen athletes with normal or corrected vision participated. In Experiment 1, participants made indirect distance estimates of targets at 6 m, showing larger estimates while running. In Experiment 2, participants performed a throwing task, aiming to throw balls into a hoop while running or standing on a treadmill. The results showed that running on a treadmill influenced distance estimation, leading to larger throws. These findings suggest that the perception of distance is a process that relies on perceptual cues and sensorimotor feedback.

Short-Term Effect of Attributional Versus Non-Attributional Negative Normative Feedback on Motor Tasks: A Double-Blind Study

Augmented feedback can alter motor performance. We examined if presenting attributional versus non-attributional negative normative feedback differently impacted short-term motor performance. With a double-blind experimental design, 49 students (36.7% female, Mage = 17.14 and SD = ±0.35) were assigned to the following two groups: G1: Attributional Negative Normative Feedback group (n = 24) and G2: Non-Attributional Negative Normative Feedback group (n = 25), with the dependent variable being the score obtained on a dart-throwing test. The results showed that those participants who received negative social comparative feedback presented in an attributional way (internal, controllable, and unstable) obtained higher scores in the dart throwing task than those who received negative social comparative feedback presented in a non-attributional way. Furthermore, these differences were maintained in the retention and transfer tests conducted 24 h after the practice phase. These findings have practical implications in motor behavior learning and performance.

Determining the optimal challenge point for learning motor skills in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

The purpose of this study was to investigate the optimal challenge point for learning motor skills in children with and without attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Ninety-six 9- to 10-year-old children, including 48 children with ADHD and 48 neurotypical children, were randomly assigned to one of four practice groups with varying levels of nominal and functional task difficulty. They performed 63 trials of a dart throwing task in the acquisition phase and 18 trials in the retention and transfer tests a day later. The results showed that neurotypical children outperformed children with ADHD in all phases of the study. Both groups improved in the acquisition phase and performed better in the retention and transfer tests. Interestingly, low nominal task difficulty was associated with better learning for both groups, despite lower average performance for children with ADHD. Thus, despite their performance differences, we did not find a difference in the effective challenge point between children with ADHD and their neurotypical peers.

Motor Learning in a Complex Motor Task Is Unaffected by Three Consecutive Days of Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation.

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) delivered to the primary motor cortex (M1) can increase cortical excitability, entrain neuronal firing patterns, and increase motor skill acquisition in simple motor tasks. The primary aim of this study was to assess the impact of tACS applied to M1 over three consecutive days of practice on the motor learning of a challenging overhand throwing task in young adults. The secondary aim was to examine the influence of tACS on M1 excitability. This study implemented a double-blind, randomized, SHAM-controlled, between-subjects experimental design. A total of 24 healthy young adults were divided into tACS and SHAM groups and performed three identical experimental sessions that comprised blocks of overhand throwing trials of the right dominant arm concurrent with application of tACS to the left M1. Performance in the overhand throwing task was quantified as the endpoint error. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were assessed in the right first dorsal interosseus (FDI) muscle with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to quantify changes in M1 excitability. Endpoint error was significantly decreased in the post-tests compared with the pre-tests when averaged over the three days of practice (p = 0.046), but this decrease was not statistically significant between the tACS and SHAM groups (p = 0.474). MEP amplitudes increased from the pre-tests to the post-tests (p = 0.003), but these increases were also not different between groups (p = 0.409). Overall, the main findings indicated that tACS applied to M1 over multiple days does not enhance motor learning in a complex task to a greater degree than practice alone (SHAM).

Effect of implicit and explicit learning on the dart throwing task in the morningness-eveningness people

The interaction of constraints causes learning. It was examined how explicit and implicit learning affected the dart-throwing task in morningness-eveningness people to test this claim. 120 morning-type individuals (AgeM ± SD = 23.38 ± 2.58) were chosen using the MESSi questionnaire. Then, randomly divided into four 30-person groups: explicit morning practice, implicit morning practice, explicit evening practice, and implicit evening practice. Each group received 10 training sessions (3 sets of 10 attempts). Mixed ANOVA (4x4) demonstrated significant main effects of different tests, group, and group test interaction. Additionally, Tukey's test demonstrated that explicit training groups outperformed implicit training groups in both immediate and delayed retention tests. The retention test with a two-week delay and transfer test outperformed explicit training groups. So, it can be said to some extent that implicit practice outperforms explicit. Learning will last longer if this practice is based on individual characteristics like circadian rhythm.

Sensorimotor prediction is used to direct gaze toward task-relevant locations in a goal-directed throwing task.

Previous research has shown that action effects of self-generated movements are internally predicted before outcome feedback becomes available. To test whether these sensorimotor predictions are used to facilitate visual information uptake for feedback processing, we measured eye movements during the execution of a goal-directed throwing task. Participants could fully observe the effects of their throwing actions (ball trajectory and either hitting or missing a target) in most of the trials. In a portion of the trials, the ball trajectory was not visible, and participants only received static information about the outcome. We observed a large proportion of predictive saccades, shifting gaze toward the goal region before the ball arrived and outcome feedback became available. Fixation locations after predictive saccades systematically covaried with future ball positions in trials with continuous ball flight information, but notably also in trials with static outcome feedback and only efferent and proprioceptive information about the movement that could be used for predictions. Fixation durations at the chosen positions after feedback onset were modulated by action outcome (longer durations for misses than for hits) and outcome uncertainty (longer durations for narrow vs. clear outcomes). Combining both effects, durations were longest for narrow errors and shortest for clear hits, indicating that the chosen locations offer informational value for feedback processing. Thus, humans are able to use sensorimotor predictions to direct their gaze toward task-relevant feedback locations. Outcome-dependent saccade latency differences (miss vs. hit) indicate that also predictive valuation processes are involved in planning predictive saccades.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We elucidate the potential benefits of sensorimotor predictions, focusing on how the system actually uses this information to optimize feedback processing in goal-directed actions. Sensorimotor information is used to predict spatial parameters of movement outcomes, guiding predictive saccades toward future action effects. Saccade latencies and fixation durations are modulated by outcome quality, indicating that predictive valuation processes are considered and that the locations chosen are of high informational value for feedback processing.

Applying different levels of practice variability for motor learning: More is not better.

Variable practice is a broadly used tool to improve motor learning processes. However, controversial results can be found in literature about the success of this type of practice compared to constant practice. This study explored one potential reason for this controversy: the manipulation of variable practice load applied during practice and its effects according to the initial performance level and the initial intrinsic variability of the learner. Sixty-five participants were grouped into four practice schedules to learn a serial throwing task, in which the training load of variable practice was manipulated: one constant practice group and three groups with different variable practice loads applied. After a pre-test, participants trained for 2 weeks. A post-test and three retests (96 h, 2 weeks and 1 month) were carried out after training. The participants' throwing accuracy was assessed through error parameters and their initial intrinsic motor variability was assessed by the autocorrelation coefficient of the error. The four groups improved their throwing performance. Pairwise comparisons and effect sizes showed larger error reduction in the low variability group. Different loads of variable practice seem to induce different performance improvements in a throwing task. The modulation of the variable practice load seems to be a step forward to clarify the controversy about its benefits, but it has to be guided by the individuals' features, mainly by the initial intrinsic variability of the learner.

Effector-specific improvements in action prediction in left-handed individuals after short-term physical practice

Research has established the influence of short-term physical practice for enhancing action prediction in right-handed (RH) individuals. In addition to benefits of physical practice for these later assessed perceptual-cognitive skills, effector-specific interference has been shown through action-incongruent secondary tasks (motor interference tasks). Here we investigated this experience-driven facilitation of action predictions and effector-specific interference in left-handed (LH) novices, before and after practicing a dart throwing task. Participants watched either RH (n = 19) or LH (n = 24) videos of temporally occluded dart throws, across a control condition and three secondary-task conditions: tone-monitoring, RH or LH force monitoring. These conditions were completed before and after physical practice throwing with the LH. Significantly greater improvement in prediction accuracy was shown post-practice for the LH- versus RH-video group. Consistent with previous work, effector-specific interference was shown, exclusive to the LH-video group. Only when doing the LH force monitoring task did the LH-video group show secondary task interference in prediction accuracy. These data support the idea that short-term physical practice resulted in the development of an effector-specific motor representation. The results are also consistent with other work in RH individuals (showing RH motor interference) and hence rule out the interpretation that these effector specific effects are due to the disruption of more generalized motor processes, thought to be lateralized to the left-hemisphere of the brain.

Motor competence is related to acquisition of error-based but not reinforcement learning in children ages 6 to 12

BackgroundAn essential component of childhood development is increasing motor competence. Poor motor learning is often thought to underlie impaired motor competence, but this link is unclear in previous studies. AimsOur aim was to test the relationship between motor competence and motor learning in the acquisition phase. Both reinforcement learning (RL) and error-based learning (EBL) were tested. We hypothesized that slower RL and slower EBL acquisition rates would relate to lower motor competence. Methods and proceduresEighty-six participants ages 6–12 performed a target throwing task under RL and EBL conditions. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children – 2nd edition (MABC-2) provided a measure of motor competence. We assessed EBL and RL acquisition rates, baseline variability, and baseline bias from the throwing task. Outcomes and resultsIn a multiple linear regression model, baseline variability (β = −0.49, p = <0.001) and the EBL acquisition rate (β = −0.24, p = 0.018) significantly explained the MABC-2 score. Participants with higher baseline variability and slower EBL acquisition had lower motor competence scores. The RL acquisition rate was independent of MABC-2 score suggesting that RL may be less of a contributor to poor motor competence. Conclusions and implicationsChildren with slower EBL acquisition had lower motor competence scores but RL acquisition was unrelated to the level of motor competence. Emphasizing the unrelated reinforcement mechanisms over error-based mechanisms during motor skill interventions may help children with poor motor competence better acquire new motor skills.

Spatial Accuracy and Variability in Dart Throwing in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder and the Relationship with Ball Skill Items.

The present study aimed to examine precision and variability in dart throwing performance and the relationships between these outcomes and bouncing, throwing and catching tasks in children with and without DCD. Children between the ages of 8 and 10 years (n = 165) were classified according to results obtained on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC-2) and divided into three groups: 65 children with severe DCD (s-DCD), 45 with moderate DCD (m-DCD) and 55 typically developing children (TD). All children performed the dart throwing test and the ball skill items of the Performance and Fitness Test (PERF-FIT). The accuracy and variability of dart throwing tasks were significantly different between TD and s-DCD (p < 0.01), and also between m-DCD and s-DCD (p < 0.01). Participants with s-DCD were also found to perform significantly worse on all PERF-FIT ball skill items than m-DCD (p < 0.001), and m-DCD were significantly poorer than TD (p < 0.001). The dart score and coefficient of variation of the long-distance task appear to be significant predictors for the ball skills and explain between 24 to 29% of their variance. In conclusion, poor results in aiming tasks using darts in children with DCD corroborate with the explanation of deficits in predictive control since the tasks require ballistic movements.

Maximizing the Throwing Distance of Robotic Manipulators: An Optimization Approach

Abstract Manipulators are increasingly being called upon to perform a wide range of tasks. This paper explores the maximal distance throwing task for robotic manipulators and shows that this characteristic can be incorporated in the kinematic design process. Indeed, knowing the maximum distance that a manipulator can throw objects is useful in determining the viability of certain throwing tasks it might be called upon to execute. This paper studies three optimization problems: optimizing the release state to maximize the throwing distance, optimizing the kinematic trajectory subject to position, velocity, acceleration, and jerk constraints, and finally optimizing the kinematic design of manipulators to maximize the workspace as well as the throwing distance. Three manipulator architectures are used as case studies for these optimizations: a planar RR, a spatial RRR, and a wrist-partitioned 6R manipulator.

Associations Between Coordination and Wearable Sensor Variables Vary by Recording Context but Not Assessment Type

Motor coordination is an important driver of development and improved coordination assessments could facilitate better screening, diagnosis, and intervention for children at risk of developmental disorders. Wearable sensors could provide data that enhance the characterization of coordination and the clinical utility of that data may vary depending on how sensor variables from different recording contexts relate to coordination. We used wearable sensors at the wrists to capture upper-limb movement in 85 children aged 6–12. Sensor variables were extracted from two recording contexts. Structured recordings occurred in the lab during a unilateral throwing task. Unstructured recordings occurred during free-living activity. The objective was to determine the influence of recording context (unstructured versus structured) and assessment type (direct vs. indirect) on the association between sensor variables and coordination. The greatest associations were between six sensor variables from the structured context and the direct measure of coordination. Worse coordination scores were associated with upper-limb movements that had higher peak magnitudes, greater variance, and less smoothness. The associations were consistent across both arms, even though the structured task was unilateral. This finding suggests that wearable sensors could be paired with a simple, structured task to yield clinically informative variables that relate to motor coordination.

Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Applied over Multiple Days Does Not Enhance Motor Learning of a Complex Overhand Throwing Task in Young Adults.

Cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) enhances motor skill and learning in relatively simple motor tasks, but it is unclear if c-tDCS can improve motor performance in complex motor tasks. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of c-tDCS applied over multiple days on motor learning in a complex overhand throwing task. In a double-blind, randomized, between-subjects, SHAM-controlled, experimental design, 30 young adults were assigned to either a c-tDCS or a SHAM group. Participants completed three identical experiments on consecutive days that involved overhand throwing in a pre-test block, five practice blocks with concurrent c-tDCS, and a post-test block. Overhand throwing endpoint accuracy was quantified as the endpoint error. The first dorsal interosseous muscle motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to quantify primary motor cortex (M1) excitability modulations via c-tDCS. Endpoint error significantly decreased over the 3 days of practice, but the magnitude of decrease was not significantly different between the c-tDCS and SHAM group. Similarly, MEP amplitude slightly increased from the pre-tests to the post-tests, but these increases did not differ between groups. These results indicate that multi-day c-tDCS does not improve motor learning in an overhand throwing task or increase M1 excitability.

Investigating the EEG Profile of Elite and Non-Elite Players in the Basketball Free Throw Task

This study aimed to investigate the electroencephalographic profile of elite and non-elite basketball players seconds before and during the basketball free throw. Sixteen male subjects in the elite group (national team/premier league players with an average age of 22.06 ± 1.56) and 16 male non-elite subjects (university players with an average age of 22.37 ± 1.45) voluntarily participated in this research. Electroencephalographic data were measured from 28 cortical areas using a mobile wireless device. ANOVA with repeated measures were also performed to investigate the characteristics of theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands. The findings showed the higher cortical activity of the elite group. Different frequency bands exhibited similar asymmetry patterns, suggesting the higher activity of the left hemisphere in most of the homologous sites. Moreover, the activity of frequency bands in the left hemisphere rose by approaching the moment of throw. Furthermore, the activity of a limited number of right hemisphere sites increased by getting closer to the moment of action. In general, hemispheric asymmetry in favor of the left hemisphere has a cortical pattern, reflecting high-performance activities. In addition, the characteristics of different frequency bands of hemispheres are directed toward increasing cognitive processing, attention focusing, and inhibiting irrelevant information.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of Primary Motor Cortex over Multiple Days Improves Motor Learning of a Complex Overhand Throwing Task.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to the primary motor cortex (M1) improves motor learning in relatively simple motor tasks performed with the hand and arm. However, it is unknown if tDCS can improve motor learning in complex motor tasks involving whole-body coordination with significant endpoint accuracy requirements. The primary purpose was to determine the influence of tDCS on motor learning over multiple days in a complex over-hand throwing task. This study utilized a double-blind, randomized, SHAM-controlled, between-subjects experimental design. Forty-six young adults were allocated to either a tDCS group or a SHAM group and completed three experimental sessions on three consecutive days at the same time of day. Each experimental session was identical and consisted of overhand throwing trials to a target in a pre-test block, five practice blocks performed simultaneously with 20 min of tDCS, and a post-test block. Overhand throwing performance was quantified as the endpoint error. Transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to obtain motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) from the first dorsal interosseus muscle to quantify changes in M1 excitability due to tDCS. Endpoint error significantly decreased over the three days of practice in the tDCS group but not in the SHAM group. MEP amplitude significantly increased in the tDCS group, but the MEP increases were not associated with increases in motor learning. These findings indicate that tDCS applied over multiple days can improve motor learning in a complex motor tasks in healthy young adults.

Inter-Trial Rest Interval Affects Learning Throwing Skills among Adolescents

Newly acquired motor skills can be critically driven by different rest periods during practice. Specifically, in the initial stages of motor skill acquisition, the interval between individual trials plays a pivotal role in facilitating effective motor performance, such as in the case of throwing. The objective of this research was to determine the optimal inter-trial rest period promoting efficient motor performance, focusing on two specific motor task actions. In a randomized counterbalanced cross-over research design 169 high-school students aged 14 were studied (M = 150; F = 19). In one block, participants performed 10 basketball free throws with a short rest interval (< 5 s) and 10 other throws with a long rest interval (∼50–60 s). In a second block, they threw a regular size tennis ball into a 1-m diameter circle on the floor at 6.75 m, again throwing 10 times with a short inter-trial rest interval and 10 times with a long inter-trial rest interval. The order of the rest intervals within each block was randomized and counterbalanced. With a repeated measures two-way analysis of variance, greater accuracy seemed to be associated with short intra-set rest intervals as there were significant main effects of both conditions (F1,167 = 368.0, p < 0.001, η2 p = 0.271) and resting time (F1,167 = 18.6, p < 0.001, η2 p = 0.192) and no significant interaction “condition by time”. Fast practice was efficient independently of the complexity of the throwing task, suggesting robust support for schema theory.

The Effects of Quiet Eye Training on Attention in Children with ADHD.

Based on linkage between attention control, gaze and visuomotor control, previous studies suggested that quiet eye training (QET) could improve attention control. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of QET-based visuomotor intervention on different aspects of attention in children with ADHD. Fifty seven children with ADHD aged 9-12 years, were tested on focused, tonic and phasic attention, as well as attention control during a throwing task analysed via eye tracking, in pre- and post-test sessions, six weeks apart. The QET group that underwent specific 5-week QET-based intervention significantly increased focused attention including its accuracy aspect. Reaction times (RTs) and intraindividual RT variability under non-alert and alert conditions as measures of tonic and phasic attention did not change over time in either group. In contrast with the control (CON) group, an extended total time of eye fixations during the pre-throw and throw phase was found in the QET group after the intervention. The results of this study suggest that focused attention in children with ADHD can be improved by a short-term QET-based visuomotor intervention. Future research needs to examine the effects of a longer QET-based intervention, or the intervention in combination with other cognitive training of attention.

Biomechanical role can vary depending on the conditions of the motor task

Expert players in throwing sports may reduce the variability of projectile arrival position by systematically relating release parameters (e.g., release position, velocity, and angular velocity of the projectile). Reducing the variability of the projectile arrival position is often believed to increase the success rate of throwing task, but it may not be always true. Here, we experimentally illustrate that the systematic relationship between release parameters that reduce the variability of the ball arrival position may not increase the number of hitting trials during a throwing task. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the role of the release parameters in increasing successful trials can vary depending on the target size. Each participant threw balls at two different-sized targets (small and large target conditions). Additionally, they alternately threw balls with overhead and sidearm throwing for both the small and large targets. Our results showed that the release position and velocity in the left-right direction reduced the variability of the ball arrival position and increased the successful trials in the small target condition. In the large target condition, the two release parameters reduced the variability of the ball arrival position, but they did not increase the successful trials. Consequently, reducing the variability of the ball arrival position did not always equate to an increase in successful trials, as it depended on the target size. These findings indicate that the role of the release parameters in increasing hitting trials is not constant but varies depending on the condition of the motor task.

Using Wearables to Monitor Trunk Kinematics and Accuracy in the Sport of Axe Throwing: A Pilot Study

The sport of axe throwing has gained popularity. Axe throwing is defined as a striking sport in which competitors are required to throw an axe with accuracy and appropriate velocity. However, evidence on the role of the trunk center of mass (CoM) in axe throwing, based on in-the-field experimental settings, is lacking. The aim of this study was to understand the variation in the magnitude of trunk CoM acceleration between male and female axe throwers and its relationship to throwing accuracy. The sample consisted of 10 adult axe throwers (five males: 35.9 ± 7.5 years; five females: 25.2 ± 3.2 years) of varying skill level and experience. The axe throwers completed five single-handed overarm axe throws using their right hand. The accuracy of the axe throws was recorded, along with CoM acceleration. The overall magnitudes of trunk CoM acceleration were significantly different between the male and female axe throwers (male CoM acceleration vector: 3.6 ± 1.1; female CoM acceleration vector: 2.2 ± 0.4; p = 0.001), with males recording a higher level of accuracy (males: 76%; females: 36%) in the axe throwing task combined with greater magnitudes of vertical acceleration. Female kinematics of the trunk were observed to have significantly higher magnitudes of mediolateral acceleration (3.55 ± 1.78, p = 0.016). The overall results identified that the vector magnitude of trunk CoM acceleration was significantly correlated (r = 0.87) to performance accuracy in the male throwers. It is suggested that axe throwers should consider using trunk CoM acceleration as a viable performance metric.