Motor Learning and Sensory Plasticity

运动学习和感觉可塑性

• 批准号: 1046-2013
• 负责人: Ostry, David
• 金额: $ 2.91万
• 依托单位: McGill University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=631504
• 关键词: Motor; Learning; Sensory; Plasticity

The long-term objective of my research is to understand neuroplasticity in human motor and sensory systems. In this context, it is striking that research on plasticity in motor systems has for the most part developed separately from work on sensory plasticity, as if learning affected each of these systems in isolation. In each case there is a large literature documenting plasticity in the developing and adult nervous systems. But increasingly there is evidence that the effects of plasticity spread from motor to sensory systems. Thus for example, we have recently shown that the effects of motor learning are not limited to motor areas of the brain but rather, the influence is more extensive, extending into non-motor areas and notably into cortical sensory systems. We have also recently found that these effects occur in the opposite direction, and importantly that somatosensory training facilitates motor learning and results in persistent changes not only to sensory areas of the brain but also to cortical motor areas. Thus our work suggests an approach to neuroplasticity in which modifications to sensory or motor systems do not occur in isolation, but rather each has effects that spread into functionally related areas of the brain. Much of the work to date on the effects of motor learning on sensory systems and of somatosensory perceptual training on motor systems has been correlational in nature. The specific objective of this NSERC Discovery Grant is to combine psychophysical and neurophysiological techniques to establish a causal role for specific motor and sensory areas of the brain in the observed behavioral changes with learning. To do so, we will use transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to suppress activity in specific brain areas. By suppressing activity we can assess the extent to which these particular areas are central to changes observed in perceptual and motor function in conjunction with learning.

我研究的长期目标是了解人类运动和感觉系统的神经可塑性。在这种背景下，运动系统的可塑性研究在很大程度上是与感觉可塑性研究分开发展的，就好像学习孤立地影响着这些系统中的每一个。在每种情况下，都有大量文献记录了发育中和成年神经系统的可塑性。但越来越多的证据表明，可塑性的影响从运动系统扩展到感觉系统。因此，例如，我们最近表明，运动学习的影响不仅限于大脑的运动区域，而且影响更广泛，延伸到非运动区域，特别是皮层感觉系统。我们最近还发现，这些影响发生在相反的方向，重要的是，躯体感觉训练促进运动学习，并导致持久的变化，不仅对大脑的感觉区，而且对皮质运动区。因此，我们的工作提出了一种研究神经可塑性的方法，在这种方法中，感觉或运动系统的改变不是孤立发生的，而是每一个都有影响，这些影响会扩散到大脑的功能相关区域。迄今为止，关于运动学习对感觉系统的影响和躯体感觉知觉训练对运动系统的影响的许多工作在本质上是相关的。这项NSERC发现补助金的具体目标是将联合收割机心理物理学和神经生理学技术结合起来，以确定大脑特定运动和感觉区域在观察到的学习行为变化中的因果作用。为此，我们将使用经颅磁刺激（TMS）来抑制特定大脑区域的活动。通过抑制活动，我们可以评估这些特定区域在多大程度上是感知和运动功能与学习相关的变化的中心。