Imagining to learn: quantifying network activation patterns to understand the brain mechanisms underlying motor imagery-based skill acquisition

我们学习高技能动作序列的能力是人类表现的许多方面的关键。从花样滑冰运动员完美的三级跳远到挽救生命的手术，熟练的动作都是通过一个被称为运动学习的过程磨练出来的。运动学习的发生是因为我们的大脑在我们重复练习新动作时发生了变化。我们通常通过实际操作来练习一个动作。这就是所谓的身体练习。然而，身体练习一个动作并不总是可能的；运动员受伤，外科医生疲劳，有些人在脑损伤后重新学习运动根本无法移动。事实证明，不动也可以练习一个动作；你只需要考虑搬家。这被称为运动意象。我们认为，将运动想象与身体练习结合起来，可以使运动技能的学习更快、更有效。******运动意象的问题在于我们对它了解不多。事实上，我们对运动想象过程中大脑的哪些区域起作用以及它们如何随着学习而变化知之甚少。这种知识的缺乏是个问题。不知道大脑在运动想象过程中是如何工作的，使我们无法找到利用大脑帮助运动学习的最佳方法。在体育锻炼中，我们对大脑活动以及大脑如何随着学习而变化有了很多了解。因此，我们已经能够找出最好的学习方法，比如做多少练习，多长时间。我们需要找出运动意象中同样的细节。这是这项研究的长期目标——确定运动意象如何最好地推动运动学习。这项研究的短期目标是找出在运动想象过程中大脑区域是如何协同工作的，以及当我们学习新的运动技能时它们是如何变化的。这些信息告诉我们在运动想象过程中大脑区域的网络是如何工作的。然后我们想要确定大脑中对运动想象至关重要的区域，以及那些对使用运动想象学习至关重要的区域。通过使用运动图像来提高我们学习新技能的能力或加强我们已经拥有的技能可以影响所有加拿大人。想象一下，我们的高水平运动员在竞争中占据优势，我们的员工拥有更高水平的技能，我们的医疗保健专业人员拥有帮助恢复运动的新工具。这项研究将对广泛的领域产生影响，最终对加拿大人的表现和健康产生积极影响。

Our ability to learn highly skilled sequences of movements is key to many aspects of human performance. From the flawless triple jump of a figure skater to life-saving surgeries, skilled movements are honed through a process called motor learning. Motor learning happens because our brain changes as we repetitively practice new movements. We usually practice a movement by actually doing it. This is called physical practice. However, it's not always possible to physically practice a movement; athletes get injured, surgeons get tired, and some people re-learning movement after a brain injury can't move at all. It turns out that it's possible to practice a movement without moving at all; you just need to think about moving. This is called motor imagery. We think that using motor imagery along with physical practice can make learning motor skills faster and more efficient. ******The problem with motor imagery is that we don't know a lot about it. In fact, we know very little about what brain areas work during motor imagery, and how they change with learning. This lack of knowledge is a problem. Not knowing how the brain works during motor imagery prevents us from figuring out the best ways to use it to help with motor learning. In physical practice we know a lot about brain activity and how the brain changes with learning. As a result we have been able to figure out the best ways to learn, like how much practice to do and for how long. We need to figure out these same details for motor imagery. This is the long-term goal of this research - to establish how motor imagery best drives motor learning. The short-term goal that makes up the proposed research is to find out about how areas of the brain work together during motor imagery, and how they change when we learn new motor skills. This information tells us about the network of brain areas at work during motor imagery. We then want to identify the brain areas critical to performing motor imagery, and those critical to learning using motor imagery. Enhancing our ability to learn new skills or strengthen skills we already have by using motor imagery can impact on all Canadians. Imagine our high performance athletes having an edge on the competition, members of our workforce having a higher level of skill, and our healthcare professionals having a new tool to help with recovery of movement. This research will impact on a wide range of areas, ultimately having a positive effect on the performance and health of Canadians.