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The ability of the brain to change structurally and functionally with experience is called brain plasticity. High levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines impair normal memory formation and consolidation. To better understand the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines in learning, the contribution of the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) to a motor skill learning task investigated. The Fmr1 Knockout (KO) mouse, an animal model of Fragile X Syndrome, has demonstrated impaired neural plasticity and learning. Fmr1 KO and control wild-type (WT) mice were trained on the dowel and flat beam runways to study motor skill learning and motor activity respectively. The cerebellum from the animals was examined for IL-6 protein using ELISA. No significant differences in the levels of IL-6 in the cerebellum of the Fmr1 KO and WT normal mice were found. The expression of IL-6 was not altered by the behavioural training. These results suggest lack of association between IL-6, and FMRP and motor skill learning. / October 2016

It is now well understood that skilled motor behavior is affected by performers' focus of attention. This effect has been demonstrated in numerous and varied motor tasks, from golf-putting to piano playing. I conducted two experiments with college-aged singers to test the extent to which trained singers' vocal tone is affected by their focus of attention while singing. In Experiment 1 (N = 11) participants sang a 3-note sequence and an excerpt of a well-learned melody under six different focus conditions. In Experiment 2 (N = 20) participants sang 3-note sequences in both high and low vocal registers, a well-learned melody, and an unpracticed, familiar melody under seven different focus conditions. Focus of attention affected participants' vocal tone in all of the singing tasks. The results of the two experiments are consistent with the results of related investigations of attentional focus in motor skill performance. Singers' tone was rated most highly and described most positively by expert listeners when singers' focused their attention on external rather than internal targets. Focusing on distal targets (i.e., targets that were far removed from the vocal mechanism) in particular was associated with high ratings and positive descriptions of vocal tone. / text

O aprendizado motor pode ser considerado um processo sensório-cognitivomotor, que envolve a formação de representações neurais da tarefa, chamadas de modelos internos. Essa forma de entender o aprendizado motor permite que processos como o aprendizado por meio da prática mental, ou seja, sem a finalização do movimento pelos efetores e a realimentação sensorial conseqüente a isso, possam ser compreendidos. A prática mental mostra-se uma forma de treinamento tão eficiente quanto a prática física em adultos, porém com vantagens quanto à generalização, visto que favorece a formação de modelos internos mais flexíveis. Entre os 5 e 6 anos de idade, a despeito das imaturidades de funções cognitivas, como memória de trabalho e atenção, as crianças já são capazes de imaginar tarefas motoras dinâmicas, embora não haja evidências na literatura sobre a capacidade de aprendizado por meio da imaginação nem a comparação com o treino físico. Desta forma, o objetivo deste estudo foi comparar a capacidade de aprender, reter e generalizar uma nova habilidade motora de oposição seqüencial de dedos por meio do treino físico e mental, em crianças de 5 e 6 anos. Para tal, foi comparado o desempenho motor em uma tarefa de oposição seqüencial de dedos, em 3 diferentes condições: com treinamento físico da tarefa, com treinamento mental e sem treinamento. O grupo de prática física (PF) era composto por dezesseis crianças com média de idade de 6,5±0,2 anos, sendo doze meninas e quatro meninos; o grupo de prática mental (PM) composto por 12 crianças com média de idade de 5,7±0,5 anos, dentre elas 7 meninos e 5 meninas e o grupo sem prática (SP), por 12 crianças de 5,6±0,4 anos, das quais 8 eram meninos e 4 meninas, todos destros. Os grupos de PF e PM foram submetidos a uma sessão de treino com 2400 repetições, sendo avaliados, assim como o grupo SP, antes, depois, 4, 7, 14 e 28 dias após o treinamento. Os resultados mostram que independente da forma de treino, as crianças foram capazes de melhorar o seu desempenho em termos de velocidade ao longo do treinamento, sendo que o grupo PM foi mais rápido para concluir cada bloco de treino em comparação com o grupo PF. Quanto à aquisição, embora de forma mais lenta, as crianças do grupo PM atingiram o mesmo desempenho que o grupo PF ao final das reavaliações, enquanto que o grupo SP permaneceu com o desempenho semelhante ao da primeira avaliação e significativamente inferior aos grupos PF e PM. Já para a generalização, os grupos PF e PM apresentaram melhora do desempenho da seqüência reversa (SR) mais lenta em comparação à seqüência treinada (ST), porém ao final dos 28 dias de experimento o grupo PM manteve esta melhora, enquanto o grupo PF perdeu desempenho. O grupo SP não apresentou diferenças significativas no comportamento de nenhuma das 2 seqüências testadas. Com base nesses resultados, pode-se concluir que crianças de 5 e 6 anos vii são capazes de aprender, reter e generalizar uma nova habilidade motora envolvendo movimentos seqüenciais de oposição de dedos por meio da prática mental, sem diferenças em comparação com a prática física, porém com vantagens quanto à generalização. / Motor skill learning (MSL) is a sensory-cognitive-motor process that involves the formation of neural representations of a task, known as internal models. This way of understanding the MSL allows processes such as motor learning through mental practice, which is, without end-movements from muscles and the subsequential sensorial feedback to those movements, to being understood. Mental practice is shown as a form of training as efficient as the physical practice in adults, however with advantage on generalization since it favors the formation of more flexible internal models. Between 5 and 6 years of age, in spite of immature cognitive functions such as working memory and attention, children are already capable to imagine dynamic motor tasks, although there is no evidence in literature regarding motor learning through imagination neither a comparison with physical training. Therefore, the objective of this study is to compare the ability of learning, retaining and generalizing a fresh motor ability of sequential opposition of fingers by physical and mental practice in children of 5 and 6 years. To do so, motor performance in a task of sequential opposition of fingers was compared in 3 different conditions: by (1) physical training of the task, (2) mental training and (3) no training at all. The physical practice group (PF) was composed by sixteen children with an average of 6,5±0,2 years, with twelve girls and four boys; the mental practice group (PM) was composed by 12 children with an average of 5,7±0,5 years, amongst them 7 boys and 5 girls and finally the notraining group (SP), composed with 12 children of 5,6±0,4 years, 8 boys and 4 girls, all dexterous. The PF and PM groups were submitted to one session of training with 2400 repetitions; they were evaluated, as well as group SP, before the training and 4, 7, 14 and 28 days after the training. The results have shown that regardless the form of training the children were capable to improve their speed performance throughout the training, with PM group concluding each block of training faster when compared to group PF. Regarding acquisition, although being slower, the children of PM group have reached the same performance as PF group in the end of the reevaluations, whereas SP group remained with the same performance as the one on the first evaluation and thus significantly inferior performance compared to PF and PM groups. As for generalization, groups PF and PM presented improvement in performance of the reversal finger opposition sequence (SR), both slower in comparison to the trained finger opposition sequence (ST), however in the end of 28 days of experiment the PM group kept this improvement while PF group lost performance. SP group did not present significant performance differences in neither of the 2 tested sequences. Based on these results, we conclude that children of 5 and 6 years are capable to learn, to retain and to generalize a new motor ability involving sequential movements of ix opposition of fingers through mental practice, without differences in comparison with physical practice, however with advantages in generalization.

O objetivo desse estudo foi investigar os efeitos do fornecimento de dicas visual, cinestésica, separadamente e em conjunto, na aprendizagem de habilidades motoras por indivíduos surdos. A tarefa utilizada foi o arremesso de dardo de salão. A amostra foi composta por 99 indivíduos do ensino fundamental, de ambos os sexos, sendo 62 com surdez neurossensorial bilateral (de moderadamente severa a anacusia) e 37 ouvintes, com idade média de 10,4 anos (±1,5) e 10,8 anos (±1,4), respectivamente. O estudo constou de três grupos experimentais de indivíduos surdos: dica visual (SV); dica cinestésica (SC) e dica visual e cinestésica (SVC). Para cada um destes grupos foi composto um grupo de ouvintes pareado por idade. O delineamento compreendeu: pré-teste (1 bloco de 5 arremessos); fase de aquisição (6 blocos de 10 arremessos); pós-teste (1 bloco de 5 arremessos) seguido de teste de transferência (1 bloco de 10 arremessos). Somente na fase de aquisição, a cada bloco de 10 tentativas, a dica \"cotovelo flexionado em 90º\" foi fornecida de acordo com a condição, por meio de figura (dica visual), manipulação (dica cinestésica) ou figura e manipulação (dica visual/cinestésica). As análises foram realizadas separadamente para os participantes que aprenderam (PA) e que não aprenderam (PNA) a habilidade. A identificação de indicativo de aprendizagem ocorreu mediante análise descritiva dos desempenhos individuais em relação ao erro radial absoluto. Foram consideradas para a análise não-paramétrica as variáveis precisão e consistência do desempenho (erro radial), respectivamente, erros absoluto e variável e, a tendência direcional através do erro constante; duas variáveis que expressam o padrão de resposta (temporais) e 14 variáveis que correspondem ao padrão de movimento (espaço-temporais). Os indivíduos surdos também foram avaliados quanto ao domínio da língua de sinais brasileira (LIBRAS) por meio da TVRSL 1.3. As medidas de erro, de padrão de resposta e de movimento foram obtidas através dos softwares Launcher Tracker e Kinovea. Os resultados dos PA mostraram que, com a prática, todos os grupos (surdos e ouvintes) diminuíram os erros radiais, absoluto e variável; ou seja, em termos de precisão e consistência do arremesso, aprenderam a habilidade. Na comparação entre os grupos experimentais, os resultados mostraram que o grupo SV obteve desempenho superior ao SC e ao SVC. Não foi detectada diferença na comparação entre os grupos de ouvintes em função da dica fornecida. A confirmação do melhor aproveitamento da dica visual pelos aprendizes surdos também foi verificada nos resultados relativos ao padrão de movimento. A dica visual possibilitou um melhor posicionamento do braço de arremesso, o que interferiu nas variáveis de ângulo, tempo e velocidade, resultando em maior precisão e consistência do arremesso. Estes resultados permitem concluir que: (1) A dica visual é mais eficiente em promover a aprendizagem motora dos surdos do que a dica cinestésica e a visual associada à cinestésica; (2) os efeitos da dica visual são específicos à aprendizagem dos surdos; e (3) o nível de domínio da LIBRAS dos aprendizes surdos - no caso, abaixo do esperado para a idade e escolaridade - não determina a ocorrência ou a não-ocorrência de aprendizagem de uma habilidade motora / The aim of this study was to investigation the effects of providing visual kinesthetic cues, separately and in combination, on the learning of motor skills by deaf individuals. The task used in this study was the dart throwing. The sample consisted of 99 subjects of elementary education, of both sexes, as follows: 62 with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (from moderate/severe to anacusis) and 37 listeners, with an average age of 10.4 years (± 1.5) and 10.8 years (± 1.4), respectively. The study consisted of three experimental groups of deaf individuals: visual cue (SV); kinesthetic cue (SC) and visual and kinesthetic cue (SVC). For each of these groups, an age-matched group of listeners was composed. The project comprised: pre-test (1 block of 5 throws); acquisition phase (6 blocks of 10 throws); post-test (1 block of 5 throws) followed by transfer test (1 block of 10 throws). Only in the acquisition phase, in each block of 10 attempts, the cue \"elbow flexed at 90º\" was supplied according to the condition, by means of figure (visual cue), manipulation (kinesthetic cue) or figure and manipulation (visual-kinesthetic cue). The analysis was performed separately for the participants who learned (PA) and did not learn (PNA) of motor skill. The identification of learning occurred through a descriptive analysis of the individual performances in relation to the absolute radial error. For the non-parametric analysis, we considered the variables accuracy and consistency of performance (radial error), respectively, absolute and variable errors, and the directional trend through constant error; two variables which express the response pattern (temporal) and 14 variables that correspond to the movement pattern (spatiotemporal). Deaf individuals were evaluated concerning the mastery of the Brazilian sign language (LIBRAS) through the TVRSL 1.3. The measurements of error, standard response and motion were obtained through the software programs Launcher Tracker and Kinovea, respectively. The results of PA showed that, with practice, all groups (deaf and hearing) decreased radial errors, absolute and variable; that is, in terms of accuracy and consistency of the throw, they learned the skill. In the comparison between the experimental groups, the results showed that the SV group performed better than SC and SVC. No difference was detected in the comparison between the groups of listeners, depending on the provided cue. The confirmation of the best use of the visual cue by the deaf learners was also verified in the results related to the movement pattern. The visual cue provided a better positioning of the throwing arm, which interfered in the variables of angle, time and speed, resulting in greater precision and consistency of the throw. These results allow to conclude that: (1) the visual cue is more efficient to promote the motor learning of the deaf individuals than the kinesthetic and visual-kinesthetic cues; (2) the effects of the visual cue are specific to the learning of the deaf individuals; and (3) the mastery level of LIBRAS in deaf learners - in this case, lower than expected for their age and schooling - does not determine the occurrence or failure of a motor skill learning

Transforming human movement into live sound can be used as a method to enhance motor skill learning via the provision of augmented perceptual feedback. A small but growing number of studies hint at the substantial efficacy of this approach, termed 'movement sonification'. However there has been sparse discussion in Psychology about how movement should be mapped onto sound to best facilitate learning. The current thesis draws on contemporary research conducted in Psychology and theoretical debates in other disciplines more directly concerned with sonic interaction - including Auditory Display and Electronic Music-Making - to propose an embodied account of sonification as feedback. The empirical portion of the thesis both informs and tests some of the assumptions of this approach with the use of a custom bimanual coordination paradigm. Four motor skill learning studies were conducted with the use of optical motion-capture. Findings support the general assumption that effective mappings aid learning by making task-intrinsic perceptual information more readily available and meaningful, and that the relationship between task demands and sonic information structure (or, between action and perception) should be complementary. Both the theoretical and empirical treatments of sonification for skill learning in this thesis suggest the value of an approach which addresses learner experience of sonified interaction while grounding discussion in the links between perception and action.

This dissertation addresses the development of a telemanipulation system using intelligent mapping from a haptic user interface to a remote manipulator to assist in maximizing the manipulation capabilities of persons with disabilities. This mapping, referred to as assistance function, is determined on the basis of environmental model or real-time sensory data to guide the motion of a telerobotic manipulator while performing a given task. Human input is enhanced rather than superseded by the computer. This is particularly useful when the user has restricted range of movements due to certain disabilities such as muscular dystrophy, a stroke, or any form of pathological tremor. In telemanipulation system, assistance of variable position/velocity mapping or virtual fixture can improve manipulation capability and dexterity. Conventionally, these assistances are based on the environment information, without knowing user's motion intention. In this dissertation, user's motion intention is combined with real-time environment information for applying appropriate assistance. If the current task is following a path, a virtual fixture orthogonal to the path is applied. Similarly, if the task is to align the end-effector with a target, an attractive force field is generated. In order to successfully recognize user's motion intention, a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) is developed. This dissertation describes the HMM based skill learning and its application in a motion therapy system in which motion along a labyrinth is controlled using a haptic interface. Two persons with disabilities on upper limb are trained using this virtual therapist. The performance measures before and after the therapy training, including the smoothness of the trajectory, distance ratio, time taken, tremor and impact forces are presented. The results demonstrate that the forms of assistance provided reduced the execution times and increased the performance of the chosen tasks for the disabled individuals. In addition, these results suggest that the introduction of the haptic rendering capabilities, including the force feedback, offers special benefit to motion-impaired users by augmenting their performance on job related tasks.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 163 pages. / Thesis (M.S.M.E.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Robotics in rehabilitation provides considerable opportunities to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities. Computerized and Virtual Environment (VE) training systems for persons with disabilities, many of which utilize the haptic feedback, have gained increasing acceptance in the recent years. Our methodology here is based on creating virtual environments connected to a haptic interface as an input device. This robotic setup introduces the advantages of the haptic rendering features in the environment and also provides tactile feedback to the patients. This thesis aims to demonstrate the efficacy of assistance function algorithms in rehabilitation robotics in virtual environments. Assist functions are used to map limited human input to motions required to perform complex tasks. The purpose is to train individuals in task-oriented applications to insure that they can be incorporated into the workplace. / ABSTRACT: Further, Hidden Markov Model (HMM) based motion recognition and skill learning are used for improving the skill levels of the users. For the Hidden Markov Model based motion recognition, the user's motion intention is combined with environment information to apply an appropriate assistance function. We used this algorithm to perform a commonly used vocational therapy test referred to as the box and the blocks test. The Hidden Markov Model based skill approach can be used for learning human skill and transferring the skill to persons with disabilities. A relatively complex task of moving along a labyrinth is chosen as the task to be modeled by HMM. This kind of training allows a person with disability to learn the skill and improve it through practice. Its application to motion therapy system using a haptic interface helps in improving their motion control capabilities, tremor reduction and upper limb coordination. / ABSTRACT: The results obtained from all the tests demonstrated that various forms of assistance provided reduced the execution times and increased the motion performance in chosen tasks. Two persons with disabilities volunteered to perform the above tasks and both of the disabled subjects expressed an interest and satisfaction with the philosophy behind these concepts. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

The purpose of this study was to examine how different feedback conditions effect the skill learning in basketball. Two task were selected and participants were randomly grouped and assigned to the verbal, visual + verbal, and visual feedback groups. In task one, a continuos skill of basketball, dribbling and in task two a discrete skill of basketball lay up skill were used. Two experts evaluated performances of the participants. In the study first a pre test applied to the subjects to form the groups than a day later subjects performed both task 15 times (5 trails in 3 sets) and get relevant feedback after every 5 trails for three consequent days. 72 hours later a retention test was applied to the subjects to test learning. A 3 &acute / 2 (Group &acute / Condition) ANOVA was used to calculate the differences between the groups in the pre test and post test conditions. The results indicated no significant difference between the groups for the two skills in the pre test but the post-test results indicated significant difference among the verbal to visual + verbal group, visual to visual + verbal group and verbal and visual group. The total difference scores of the groups were also significant where visual + verbal condition indicated the highest improvement whereas the visual condition indicated the least improvement in the two selected basketball skills. The study indicated that the verbal feedback for novice group caused better improvement and retention of the dribbling and lay-up basketball skills compared to the visual feedback group. This watermark does not appear in the registered version -