Spinal Reflexes in Motor Skill Learning

NCT00076583 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 04010704-N-0107
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 22
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will test a spinal cord reflex called reciprocal inhibition before, during, and after learning a motor skill to see if the reflex becomes stronger by learning the movement. People learn new motor skills throughout their lives. At first, performing a new skilled movement such as riding a bicycle takes effort and is clumsy, but with practice, it becomes relatively automatic. The motor cortex (a part of the brain) is very active when a new skilled movement is learned, but becomes less active when the movement is over-learned. This study will determine whether the spinal cord helps coordinate the pattern of activity between groups of muscles once a motor skill is learned. Healthy volunteers between 21 and 65 years of age may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history and neurological examination. Participants are divided into two groups. Group 1 has movement training sessions only and Group 2 has both movement training sessions and physiology sessions, as follows: Movement training sessions For 15 minutes every weekday, participants practice moving their wrist back and forth to make a cursor on the computer screen follow a target. Activity of the arm muscles is monitored with surface electrodes taped to the skin. The sessions continue until the participant can perform the movement well. Group 1 participants return to the clinic a week after the last session to perform the movement again to see if their skill level has changed. Each session lasts about 20 to 30 minutes. Physiology sessions In three separate sessions, the reflex for reciprocal inhibition is measured before and at several times during the movement task. This is done with nerve conduction studies. A probe placed on the skin delivers a low-intensity electrical stimulus. Wires taped to the skin record the nerve impulses. To measure reciprocal inhibition, several dozen stimuli are given to two nerves in combinations. Each session lasts 2 to 3 hours.

Conditions

Healthy

Keywords

Motor Learning; Co-contraction; Reciprocal Inhibition; Spinal Plasticity; Rhythmic Movement; Healthy Volunteer; HV

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Healthy individuals between the ages of 21-65 years who are willing to participate in daily training sessions and physiological studies.

You may not qualify if:

• Any history of peripheral nerve injury, cervical radiculopathy, arthritis, tendonitis, or surgery on the wrist.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Pascual-Leone A, Grafman J, Hallett M. Modulation of cortical motor output maps during development of implicit and explicit knowledge. Science. 1994 Mar 4;263(5151):1287-9. doi: 10.1126/science.8122113.

  PMID: 8122113 BACKGROUND

• Smith ME, McEvoy LK, Gevins A. Neurophysiological indices of strategy development and skill acquisition. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res. 1999 Jan;7(3):389-404. doi: 10.1016/s0926-6410(98)00043-3.

  PMID: 9838200 BACKGROUND

• Honda M, Deiber MP, Ibanez V, Pascual-Leone A, Zhuang P, Hallett M. Dynamic cortical involvement in implicit and explicit motor sequence learning. A PET study. Brain. 1998 Nov;121 ( Pt 11):2159-73. doi: 10.1093/brain/121.11.2159.

  PMID: 9827775 BACKGROUND

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 26, 2004
• First Posted: January 27, 2004
• Study Start: January 1, 2004
• Study Completion: November 1, 2005
• Last Updated: March 4, 2008

Record last verified: 2005-11

Locations

US (1)