Emergence of arm reaching behavior and lateralization of motor control in infancy

项目摘要 了解婴儿是如何从自发的运动发展到目标导向的， 运动技能婴儿学习是早期干预计划的重点，需要有效的早期干预。 干预是伟大的。直到我们理解了发展的机制以及什么促进或抑制了 成功的婴儿学习，我们不能设计最佳的早期干预。我们的具体目标是， 研究婴儿经验（婴儿和环境因素）和潜在的神经基质 （脑电图（EEG））作为婴儿学习手臂达到，早期，基础运动技能。 目前的理论认为，婴儿通过重复的感知-行动过程来学习， 错误是婴儿成功学习的关键机制。因此，目标1将纵向测量错误率 across横过the emergency出现and refinement完善of reaching达到.在目标1中，我们将确定错误率 和伸手技能的发展。我们假设婴儿会表现出高错误率 （错误/尝试）接近达到开始，随着他们完善技能而减少，支持使 错误是学习发生的关键经验。目标2将侧重于个别婴儿和环境 这些因素可以预测到达的起始年龄。在目标2中，我们将确定与以下因素相关的婴儿和环境因素： 达到发病年龄。婴儿因素是运动经验（每日运动量和类型（单侧或双侧））， 手臂运动经验）和认知发展状况。环境因素是孕产妇的水平 教育、母婴互动质量、营养和睡眠。我们假设这些因素是 与观察到婴儿开始达到的年龄有关，我们将确定 婴儿在不同年龄达到的关联和特征。结果将确定目标， 最有可能成功干预。目标3将使用脑电图来确定大脑功能如何变化 因为伸手从不稳定的技能改进为成功的偏侧（通常是右臂偏好）运动。 使用EEG将使我们能够在家中收集数据，包括休息状态和手臂运动期间。在目标3中， 将识别同步的大脑活动模式，区分自发的手臂运动， 在具有典型发育的婴儿中，达到尝试和熟练的达到。根据我们的试点数据，我们 假设额顶叶连接增加，半球间连接减少， 当到达目标更明确、更成功、更偏侧时，脑电活动从双侧转向单侧。 目标1 - 3关注具有典型发育的婴儿;探索性目标4将我们的发现与人群进行对比 可能表现出学习伸手障碍：脑瘫高危婴儿。在探索性目标4中，我们将 描述自发手臂运动、早期伸手尝试期间的并发大脑活动模式，以及 小儿脑瘫的危害有哪些？我们的结果将决定最相关的因素 这与婴儿在学习伸手时完善大脑功能和神经运动控制的能力有关。

Project Summary It is crucial to understand how infants learn to progress from spontaneous movements into goal-directed, refined motor skills. Infant learning is the focus of early intervention programs, and the need for effective early intervention is great. Until we understand the mechanisms of development and what promotes or inhibits successful infant learning, we cannot design optimal early intervention. Our specific objective is to longitudinally study infant experience (infant and environmental factors) and underlying neural substrates (electroencephalography (EEG)) as infants learn arm reaching, an early, foundational motor skill. Current theories suggest that infants learn through a repeated perception-action process and that experiencing error is the key mechanism for successful infant learning. Thus, Aim 1 will measure error rate longitudinally across the emergence and refinement of reaching. In Aim 1 we will determine the relationship between error rate and the development of reaching skill. We hypothesize that infants will demonstrate a high error rate (errors/attempts) near reaching onset that decreases as they refine the skill, supporting the idea that making errors is a key experience in order for learning to occur. Aim 2 will focus on individual infant and environmental factors that predict age of onset of reaching. In Aim 2 we will identify infant and environmental factors related to the age of reaching onset. Infant factors are motor experience (amount and type (unilateral or bilateral) of daily arm movement experience) and cognitive development status. Environmental factors are level of maternal education, quality of caregiver-infant interactions, nutrition, and sleep. We hypothesize that these factors are related to the age at which infants are observed to begin to reach, and we will determine the strength of the associations and characteristics of infants reaching at different ages. The results will identify targets for intervention that are most likely to be successful. Aim 3 will use EEG to determine how brain function changes as reaching is refined from an unstable skill to a successful, lateralized (typically right arm preference) movement. Using EEG will allow us to collect data in the home, both resting state and during arm movements. In Aim 3 we will identify patterns of concurrent brain activity that differentiate between spontaneous arm movements, early reaching attempts, and skilled reaches in infants with typical development. Based on our pilot data, we hypothesize that frontal-parietal connectivity increases, interhemispheric connectivity decreases, and sources of EEG activity shift from bilateral to unilateral as reaches become more goal directed, successful, and lateralized. Aims 1–3 focus on infants with typical development; exploratory Aim 4 contrasts our findings with a population likely to show impairment in learning to reach: infants at high risk for cerebral palsy. In exploratory Aim 4 we will describe patterns of concurrent brain activity during spontaneous arm movements, early reaching attempts, and skilled reaches in infants at high risk for cerebral palsy. Our results will determine the most relevant factors related to an infant’s ability to refine his brain function and neuromotor control as he learns to reach.