adaptations to novel mechanical loads

Question 1

what is motor learning

Answer 1

set of processes that are associated with practise or experience and cause relatively permanent gains in the capacity for skilled performance

Question 2

what are the basic properties of motor learning

Answer 2

• practise doesn’t guarantee motor learning
• learning doesn’t guarantee anything
• learning alters capability for performance
• learning produces relatively permanent changes in capacity for skilled performance

Question 3

what is the law of practise (diminishing returns)

Answer 3

• performance improves rapidly at first and then more gradually later
• power or exponential decay processes
• rate is constant and depends on the size of the error

Question 4

what is the saving of learning principle

Answer 4

rate of relearning a motor skills is faster (on average) than the rate the skill was initially learned

Question 5

what is specialised transfer

Answer 5

closed skills that can be practised directly
- task and environment are predictable

Question 6

what is generalised transfer

Answer 6

more difficult to practise directly and must transfer to some extent from practise to a game setting

Question 7

what is the difference between near and far transfer

Answer 7

near transfer - practise conditions are similar to play
far transfer - ex: pulling weights to build power and strength to transfer to skating

Question 8

what is the difference between discrete, serial, and continuous motor skills

Answer 8

discrete - well defined beginning and end (throwing a pitch)

serial - series of discrete skills to make more complicated skill (dance routine)

continuous - repetitive with no clear beginning or end (biking or running)

Question 9

what is retention of learning

Answer 9

changes in the capacity for skills performance during a period with no practise

Question 10

what is the difference in retention between discrete and continuous motor skills

Answer 10

discrete - brief periods without practise can lead to reduction in performance (use it or lose it)

continuous - performance is less likely to suffer during longer periods without practise (riding a bike)

Question 11

what is motor learning

Answer 11

process of acquiring new motor skills or improving the performance of an existing skill

Question 12

what is motor adaptation

Answer 12

modifying an existing motor skill with different conditions or equipment

Question 13

what is the importance of motor adaptation

Answer 13

can adapt our actions for different environments, tasks, and behavioural contexts
adaptation allows the NS to maintain skilled actions across the lifespan

Question 14

what is a sensory prediction error (SPE)

Answer 14

SPE = expected — actual sensory consequences of mvmt
(similar to internal models)

Question 15

when is SPE high and low

Answer 15

high SPE = when novel load is applied
low SPE = when NS can predict outcomes

Question 16

what is the benefit of high adaptation rate (learning fast)

Answer 16

in a CONSTANT environment
= low errors and more efficient

Question 17

what is the disadvantage of high adaptation rate (where a low adaptation rate would be better)

Answer 17

environments with HIGH variability
- fast adaptation can cause errors (similar to washout - overadapt)

Question 18

how are expected consequences calculated

Answer 18

efference copies of motor commands + internall (forward) model of body and environment

when error persists, forward model needs to be updated (critical for adaptation)

Question 19

how generalisable is force field adaptation

Answer 19

decay in generalisation as you move further away from the learned direction

bell curve:
- peak in training conditions
- rapid decay on either side
- asymptotes around 90 degrees away

Question 20

why is generalisation non existent when the spatial distance is >90 degrees away

Answer 20

need to use different muscle groups by the time the target is that far away

Question 21

how do you maximise generalisation

Answer 21

random order different target directions
- engages different muscle groups

Question 22

what do cerebellar patients display in the multi target condition

Answer 22

baseline mvmts - jerky, intentional tremor, dysmetria
early adapt - jerky and biased in direction of load
late adapt - little adaptation occurs
washout - little after effect deviations

retention also impaired

Question 23

what is the difference between experiments done in patients with huntingtons, and controls

Answer 23

adaptation present in healthy adults and huntingtons (only impairs the indirect pathway of basal ganglia)

Question 24

what is the relationship between cerebellar impairment and adaptation

Answer 24

negative relationship
- increased impairment = decreased ability to adapt

Question 25

what lesions in the cerebellum cause impaired adaptations

Answer 25

anterior lobe (intermediate or lateral hemispheres)
focal lesions in deep cerebellar nuclei (interposed and dentate)

Question 26

what is caused by lesions in the anterior or posterior lobe of the cerebellum

Answer 26

anterior = can’t adapt to novel forces
posterior = can’t adapt to visual feedback

Question 27

what is the impact of uncertainty (force field strength) on force field adaptation

Answer 27

constant field strength (no uncertainty) = zero variance = better adaptation

variable field strength (high uncertainty) = high variance = less adaptation

Question 28

how are sensitive M1 cells involved in force field adaptation

Answer 28

neurons that are sensitive to the force field are also sensitive upon re-exposure to the same field

(neurons preferred direction)