Authors:

Mary Gach

Date Created:

Not specified

Course Title:

Professor:

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About Paper:

Motor skills are cognitively controlled chunks of motor output strung into behavioral sequences with specific movements learned over time. Studies have emphasized early-stage learning, neglecting late- stage learning processes important for long-term performance improvement. Moreover, it's unclear how new actions are learned in the context of well-learned behaviors. Inhibition in the primary motor cortex (M1) may assist early motor learning by preventing interference with competing motor output. Additionally, higher M1 Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels are associated with increased motor learning (King et al, 2020). We hypothesized M1 GABA assists learning novel motor sequences, even in developed skills that rely on well-learned processes. To investigate, we compared individual differences in the motor learning of novel sequences during a keyboard typing task with M1 GABA levels measured using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Typing is a skill we learn later in development and is a good way to see if M1 GABA levels relate to previously developed motor skills. We predicted individuals with more M1 GABA would have fewer errors, increased movement speed, and faster movement initiation when typing sequences across repeated trials. This research will give insight into late-stage motor learning, can help optimize learning methods and improve the performance of individuals across various populations and contexts. 165 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON • 2024 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

Source:

University of Oregon / 2024

Topics:

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Co-authors:

Mary Gach