scholarly journals Intact predictive motor sequence learning in autism spectrum disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Rybicki ◽  
J. M. Galea ◽  
B. A. Schuster ◽  
C. Hiles ◽  
C. Fabian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Time Difference ◽  
Reaction Time Difference ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Action Sequence

AbstractAtypical motor learning has been suggested to underpin the development of motoric challenges (e.g., handwriting difficulties) in autism. Bayesian accounts of autistic cognition propose a mechanistic explanation for differences in the learning process in autism. Specifically, that autistic individuals overweight incoming, at the expense of prior, information and are thus less likely to (a) build stable expectations of upcoming events and (b) react to statistically surprising events. Although Bayesian accounts have been suggested to explain differences in learning across a range of domains, to date, such accounts have not been extended to motor learning. 28 autistic and 35 non-autistic controls (IQ > 70) completed a computerised task in which they learned sequences of actions. On occasional “surprising” trials, an expected action had to be replaced with an unexpected action. Sequence learning was indexed as the reaction time difference between blocks which featured a predictable sequence and those that did not. Surprise-related slowing was indexed as the reaction time difference between surprising and unsurprising trials. No differences in sequence-learning or surprise-related slowing were observed between the groups. Bayesian statistics provided anecdotal to moderate evidence to support the conclusion that sequence learning and surprise-related slowing were comparable between the two groups. We conclude that individuals with autism do not show atypicalities in response to surprising events in the context of motor sequence-learning. These data demand careful consideration of the way in which Bayesian accounts of autism can (and cannot) be extended to the domain of motor learning.

scholarly journals Intact Predictive Motor Sequence Learning in Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia J. Rybicki ◽  
J. M. Galea ◽  
Bianca Schuster ◽  
C. Hiles ◽  
C. Fabian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Time Difference ◽  
Reaction Time Difference ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Action Sequence

Abstract Background. Atypical motor learning has been suggested to underpin the development of motoric challenges (e.g., handwriting difficulties) in autism. Bayesian accounts of autistic cognition propose a mechanistic explanation for differences in the learning process in autism. Specifically, that autistic individuals overweight incoming, at the expense of prior, information and are thus less likely to a) build stable expectations of upcoming events and b) react to statistically surprising events. Although Bayesian accounts have been suggested to explain differences in learning across a range of domains, to date, such accounts have not been extended to motor learning.Methods. 28 autistic and 35 non-autistic controls (IQ > 70) completed a computerised task in which they learned sequences of actions. On occasional “surprising” trials, an expected action had to be replaced with an unexpected action. Sequence learning was indexed as the reaction time difference between blocks which featured a predictable sequence and those that did not. Surprise-related slowing was indexed as the reaction time difference between surprising and unsurprising trials.Results. No differences in sequence-learning or surprise-related slowing were observed between the groups. Bayesian statistics provided anecdotal to moderate evidence to support the conclusion that sequence learning and surprise-related slowing were comparable between the two groups. Conclusions. We conclude that individuals with autism do not show atypicalities in response to surprising events in the context of motor sequence-learning. These data demand careful consideration of the way in which Bayesian accounts of autism can (and cannot) be extended to the domain of motor learning.

scholarly journals Association of COMT val158met and DRD2 G>T genetic polymorphisms with individual differences in motor learning and performance in female young adults

2014 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 628-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Noohi ◽  
Nate B. Boyden ◽  
Youngbin Kwak ◽  
Jennifer Humfleet ◽  
David T. Burke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Genetic Polymorphisms ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Striatal Dopamine ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Comt Val158met ◽  
Adaptation Task

Individuals learn new skills at different rates. Given the involvement of corticostriatal pathways in some types of learning, variations in dopaminergic transmission may contribute to these individual differences. Genetic polymorphisms of the catechol- O-methyltransferase (COMT) enzyme and dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) genes partially determine cortical and striatal dopamine availability, respectively. Individuals who are homozygous for the COMT methionine ( met) allele show reduced cortical COMT enzymatic activity, resulting in increased dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex as opposed to individuals who are carriers of the valine ( val) allele. DRD2 G-allele homozygotes benefit from a higher striatal dopamine level compared with T-allele carriers. We hypothesized that individuals who are homozygous for COMT met and DRD2 G alleles would show higher rates of motor learning. Seventy-two young healthy females (20 ± 1.9 yr) performed a sensorimotor adaptation task and a motor sequence learning task. A nonparametric mixed model ANOVA revealed that the COMT val-val group demonstrated poorer performance in the sequence learning task compared with the met-met group and showed a learning deficit in the visuomotor adaptation task compared with both met-met and val-met groups. The DRD2 TT group showed poorer performance in the sequence learning task compared with the GT group, but there was no difference between DRD2 genotype groups in adaptation rate. Although these results did not entirely come out as one might predict based on the known contribution of corticostriatal pathways to motor sequence learning, they support the role of genetic polymorphisms of COMT val158met (rs4680) and DRD2 G>T (rs 1076560) in explaining individual differences in motor performance and motor learning, dependent on task type.

scholarly journals Multidimensional Motor Sequence Learning Is Impaired in Older But Not Younger or Middle-Aged Adults

2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara A Boyd ◽  
Eric D Vidoni ◽  
Catherine F Siengsukon
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Adult Group ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Retention Testing ◽  
Interference Tests ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

Background and Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify which characteristics of a multidimensional sequence containing motor, spatial, and temporal elements would be most salient for motor sequence learning and whether age might differentially affect this learning. Subjects Younger (n=11, mean age=26.0 years), middle-aged (n=13, mean age=50.7 years), and older (n=11, mean age=77.5 years) adults who were neurologically intact participated in the study. Methods Participants practiced a sequencing task with repeated motor, spatial, and temporal dimensions for 2 days; on a separate third day, participants completed retention and interference tests designed to assess sequence learning and which elements of the sequence were learned. The mean median response time for each block of responses was used to assess motor sequence learning. Results Younger and middle-aged adults demonstrated sequence-specific motor learning at retention testing via faster response times for repeated sequences than random sequences; both of these groups showed interference for the motor dimension. In contrast, older adults demonstrated nonspecific learning (ie, similar improvements in response time for both random and repeated sequences). These findings were shown by a lack of difference between random and repeated sequence performance in the older adult group both at retention testing and during interference tests. Conclusion and Discussion Our data suggest that, when younger and middle-aged adults practice sequences containing multiple dimensions of movement, the motor element is most important for motor learning. The absence of sequence-specific change demonstrated by an older adult group that was healthy suggests an age-related impairment in motor learning that may have profound implications for rehabilitation.

Stress Modulates the Balance between Hippocampal and Motor Networks during Motor Memory Processing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Dolfen ◽  
B R King ◽  
L Schwabe ◽  
M A Gann ◽  
M P Veldman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Motor Memory ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Memory Processing ◽  
Sleep Episode ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The functional interaction between hippocampo- and striato-cortical regions during motor sequence learning is essential to trigger optimal memory consolidation. Based on previous evidence from other memory domains that stress alters the balance between these systems, we investigated whether exposure to stress prior to motor learning modulates motor memory processes. Seventy-two healthy young individuals were exposed to a stressful or nonstressful control intervention prior to training on a motor sequence learning task in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Consolidation was assessed with an MRI retest after a sleep episode. Behavioral results indicate that stress prior to learning did not influence motor performance. At the neural level, stress induced both a larger recruitment of sensorimotor regions and a greater disengagement of hippocampo-cortical networks during training. Brain-behavior regression analyses showed that while this stress-induced shift from (hippocampo-)fronto-parietal to motor networks was beneficial for initial performance, it was detrimental for consolidation. Our results provide the first experimental evidence that stress modulates the neural networks recruited during motor memory processing and therefore effectively unify concepts and mechanisms from diverse memory fields. Critically, our findings suggest that intersubject variability in brain responses to stress determines the impact of stress on motor learning and subsequent consolidation.

Speech Motor Sequence Learning: Acquisition and Retention in Parkinson Disease and Normal Aging

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 1477-1492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason A. Whitfield ◽  
Alexander M. Goberman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Parkinson Disease ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Current Investigation ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Sequence Performance ◽  
Speed And Accuracy ◽  
Speech Motor

Purpose The aim of the current investigation was to examine speech motor sequence learning in neurologically healthy younger adults, neurologically healthy older adults, and individuals with Parkinson disease (PD) over a 2-day period. Method A sequential nonword repetition task was used to examine learning over 2 days. Participants practiced a sequence of 6 monosyllabic nonwords that was retested following nighttime sleep. The speed and accuracy of the nonword sequence were measured, and learning was inferred by examining performance within and between sessions. Results Though all groups exhibited comparable improvements of the nonword sequence performance during the initial session, between-session retention of the nonword sequence differed between groups. Younger adult controls exhibited offline gains, characterized by an increase in the speed and accuracy of nonword sequence performance across sessions, whereas older adults exhibited stable between-session performance. Individuals with PD exhibited offline losses, marked by an increase in sequence duration between sessions. Conclusions The current results demonstrate that both PD and normal aging affect retention of speech motor learning. Furthermore, these data suggest that basal ganglia dysfunction associated with PD may affect the later stages of speech motor learning. Findings from the current investigation are discussed in relation to studies examining consolidation of nonspeech motor learning.

scholarly journals Cortical Basal Ganglia Network Interactions During Sequence Learning in Parkinson's Disease

Neurosurgery ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Doris D Wang ◽  
Coralie de Hemptinne ◽  
Roee Gilron ◽  
Philip A Starr
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Control Circuits

Abstract INTRODUCTION Learning a motor skill involves organizing a series of complex movements into sequences that can be executed efficiently and reproducibly. Once learned, these sequences generate lasting changes in motor control circuits. Animal studies suggest that the interaction between the motor cortex and basal ganglia is critically involved in motor sequence learning. In particular, the cortical neurons can encode sequence-specific information that is stored subcortically once the sequence is learned. However, how motor sequence learning in humans is not well understood. In disease states like Parkinson disease, where dopaminergic denervation to the striatum affects motor functions and motor learning, understanding the circuit mechanisms of motor learning dysfunction is critical for improving motor rehabilitation. METHODS We study the neural basis of motor sequence learning in 4 Parkinson patients by performing chronic recordings of field potentials from the motor cortex (1 patient) or prefrontal cortex (3 patients) and the pallidum while patients performed the serial reaction time task (SRTT). RESULTS All patients exhibited improvements in motor sequence learning in the SRTT. There is task-modulated increase in theta (4-8 Hz) oscillations during sequence-specific trials in the motor cortex. The pallidum in all patients showed similar increases in theta oscillation at the start of motor sequences. CONCLUSION This is the first illustration of cortical basal ganglia network interactions recorded from the human brain during motor sequence learning. Increases in cortical and subcortical theta oscillations may provide a mechanism for encoding of movement sequences.

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