Practice makes perfect - motor memory possible for neuroprosthetic control
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 - 06:42
in Psychology & Sociology
'Practice makes perfect' is the maxim drummed into students struggling to learn a new motor skill - be it riding a bike or developing a killer backhand in tennis. In order to become proficient in any motor task, all that practice must eventually modify the performer's nervous system so that stable motor memories of the physical actions are formed. In this week's issue of PLoS Biology, new research reveals that macaque monkeys can achieve a kind of consolidation of motor memory when using a neuroprosthetic device to complete a motor action. The finding could have a role in increasing the ease with which physically disabled people can master the control of artificial limbs and other disembodied devices...