Learning of bimanual motor sequences in normal aging
While it is well accepted that motor performance declines with age, the ability to learn simple procedural motor tasks appears to remain intact to some extent in normal aging. Here we examined the impact of aging on the acquisition of a simple sequence of bimanual actions. We further asked whether s...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2015-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnagi.2015.00076/full |
| _version_ | 1819090747063795712 |
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| author | Rashmi eBhakuni Pratik K Mutha |
| author_facet | Rashmi eBhakuni Pratik K Mutha |
| author_sort | Rashmi eBhakuni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | While it is well accepted that motor performance declines with age, the ability to learn simple procedural motor tasks appears to remain intact to some extent in normal aging. Here we examined the impact of aging on the acquisition of a simple sequence of bimanual actions. We further asked whether such learning results from an overall decrease in response time or is also associated with improved coordination between the hands. Healthy young and old individuals performed a bimanual version of the classic serial reaction time task. We found no learning deficit in older adults and noted that older subjects were able to learn as much as young participants. We also observed that learning in both groups was associated with an overall decrease in response time, but switch cost, the increase in response time when a switch in hands was required during sequence execution, did not decrease with learning. Surprisingly however, overall switch cost was lower in the older group compared to the younger subjects. These findings are discussed in the context of interactions between procedural and declarative memory, reduced interhemispheric inhibition and more symmetric cortical activation during motor performance in normal aging. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T22:28:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1f4fc36fd347425fb7164d87d7fc3f58 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1663-4365 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T22:28:44Z |
| publishDate | 2015-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-1f4fc36fd347425fb7164d87d7fc3f582022-12-21T18:48:08ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience1663-43652015-05-01710.3389/fnagi.2015.00076130270Learning of bimanual motor sequences in normal agingRashmi eBhakuni0Pratik K Mutha1Indian Institute of Technology GandhinagarIndian Institute of Technology GandhinagarWhile it is well accepted that motor performance declines with age, the ability to learn simple procedural motor tasks appears to remain intact to some extent in normal aging. Here we examined the impact of aging on the acquisition of a simple sequence of bimanual actions. We further asked whether such learning results from an overall decrease in response time or is also associated with improved coordination between the hands. Healthy young and old individuals performed a bimanual version of the classic serial reaction time task. We found no learning deficit in older adults and noted that older subjects were able to learn as much as young participants. We also observed that learning in both groups was associated with an overall decrease in response time, but switch cost, the increase in response time when a switch in hands was required during sequence execution, did not decrease with learning. Surprisingly however, overall switch cost was lower in the older group compared to the younger subjects. These findings are discussed in the context of interactions between procedural and declarative memory, reduced interhemispheric inhibition and more symmetric cortical activation during motor performance in normal aging.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnagi.2015.00076/fullAgingmotor learningSerial Reaction Time Taskskillbimanual actions |
| spellingShingle | Rashmi eBhakuni Pratik K Mutha Learning of bimanual motor sequences in normal aging Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience Aging motor learning Serial Reaction Time Task skill bimanual actions |
| title | Learning of bimanual motor sequences in normal aging |
| title_full | Learning of bimanual motor sequences in normal aging |
| title_fullStr | Learning of bimanual motor sequences in normal aging |
| title_full_unstemmed | Learning of bimanual motor sequences in normal aging |
| title_short | Learning of bimanual motor sequences in normal aging |
| title_sort | learning of bimanual motor sequences in normal aging |
| topic | Aging motor learning Serial Reaction Time Task skill bimanual actions |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnagi.2015.00076/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rashmiebhakuni learningofbimanualmotorsequencesinnormalaging AT pratikkmutha learningofbimanualmotorsequencesinnormalaging |