Influence of altered sensory input and Cortical Asymmetry on Movement Induced Plasticity

我的研究重点是理解当运动技能习得发生在改变的感觉输入的情况下，神经可塑性的差异，以及大脑功能和手偏好的偏侧是如何影响这一点的。适应性（有益的）可塑性增强运动学习和表现；而适应性不良（有害的）可塑性会导致错误的运动模式，降低运动表现的速度和准确性，并产生受伤的可能性。在职业、娱乐或运动环境中，我们经常在外部感官刺激（如振动或疼痛）存在的情况下学习新的运动技能。这项发现资助研究了改变的感觉输入，如疼痛，如何影响运动诱导的可塑性是适应的还是不适应的。手优势或侧性是终身使用依赖性可塑性的一个模型，本研究还试图了解优势肢体（Dom）和非优势肢体（NonDom）之间的运动控制差异如何影响运动训练对适应性或不适应可塑性的潜在影响。我的长期目标是推进我们对影响运动训练诱导可塑性的因素的基本理解。我的短期目标是：1)探索在运动习得任务中改变感觉输入导致感觉运动可塑性增强或受损的神经机制；2)比较当任务要求被操纵为有利于肢体动力学的预测控制或阻抗控制时，Dom和非Dom肢体的感觉运动反应。3)确定当运动序列获取发生在疼痛存在时，Dom和非Dom肢体之间是否存在差异。新颖性和影响：我的创新方法将促进我们对运动训练过程中感觉中断如何增强或干扰使用依赖性可塑性的理解。这是一项基本知识，因为我们在学习新的运动技能时，经常会受到振动或疼痛等外部感官刺激。在现代社会，科技的使用意味着我们需要不断掌握新的运动技能，而且我们经常需要使用双手。了解运动技能习得的神经机制的半球差异是至关重要的，以便技术设计的进步导致适应性可塑性，而不是适应性可塑性不良和损伤。在这个现代技术使用的时代，研究可能有助于我们适应可塑性能力的因素至关重要，并且对人体工程学和康复学都具有重要意义。

My research is focused on understanding differences in neural plasticity when motor skill acquisition occurs in the presence of altered sensory inputs, and how lateralization of brain function and hand preference factor into this. Adaptive (beneficial) plasticity enhances motor learning and performance; while maladaptive (harmful) plasticity leads to faulty movement patterns, decreasing speed and accuracy of motor performance, and creating the potential for injury. In occupational, recreational or sporting contexts, we are often learning new motor skills while extraneous sensory stimuli such as vibration or pain are present. This Discovery Grant addresses how altered sensory inputs such as pain, influence whether movement induced plasticity is adaptive or maladaptive. Hand dominance or laterality is a model of lifelong use-dependent plasticity and this research also seeks to understand how motor control differences between the Dominant (Dom) and non-dominant (NonDom) limbs influences the potential for adaptive or maladaptive plasticity in response to motor training My long term goal is to advance our fundamental understanding of the factors that influence motor training induced plasticity. My short term objectives are: 1) explore the neural mechanisms by which altered sensory input during motor acquisition tasks leads to either enhanced or impaired sensorimotor plasticity; 2) Compare sensorimotor responses of the Dom and NonDom limbs when task requirements are manipulated to favour either predictive or impedance control of limb dynamics 3) Determine whether there are differences between the Dom and NonDom limbs when motor sequence acquisition takes place in the presence of pain.Novelty and Impact: My innovative approach will advance our understanding of how sensory disruptions during motor training either enhance or interfere with use-dependent plasticity. This is fundamental knowledge because we are often learning new motor skills while extraneous sensory stimuli such as vibration or pain are present. In our modern world, technology use has meant that we are constantly called upon to master novel motor skills, and often we are called upon to use both hands. It is critical to understand hemispheric differences in neural mechanisms of motor skill acquisition so that advances in technology design lead to adaptive plasticity rather than to maladaptive plasticity and injury. Investigating factors which may contribute to our capacity for adaptive plasticity is critical in this era of modern technology use, and has important implications for both ergonomics and rehabilitation.