Topic: motor skills

Performing two skills, such as swinging a tennis racquet or axe, requires both differences in typical motor output and different feedback-driven adjustments. The motor cortex (M1) is clearly involved in specifying motor output. Less-well understood is the extent and nature of its role in performing computations underlying skill-specific feedback control. In addressing this question, a technical hurdle is that it can be difficult to discern when skill-specific aspects of neural activity reflect different motor outputs versus skill-specific feedback control. To overcome this hurdle, we employed

The acquisition of novel motor skills requires new patterns of neural activity and changes in synaptic weights, yet the precise rules governing synaptic plasticity in the motor cortex and how they give rise to the observed changes in activity are still unknown. Brain computer interfaces (BCIs) allow for task improvement to be directly linked to changes in neural activity. Recent experiments that pair BCIs with all-optical circuit mapping allow for the simultaneous tracking of in vivo changes in connectivity while task-relevant activity learning occurs. In silico models of learning allow for th

Motor skills underlie much of what we do, from tying shoes to serving a volleyball. A hallmark of skills is a transition over learning, from variable behavior to precise and stereotyped movements. This change in motor variability must be flexibly, but tightly, regulated: while necessary to explore the motor space to find rewarded solutions, it impairs peak performance. However, how variability regulation is implemented in the mammalian brain remains unclear. The basal ganglia have been implicated, and a transition from dorsomedial striatum (DMS), mediating variable behavior, to dorsolateral st

The effect of living conditions on the physiology, behaviour and stress of laboratory animals is still being discussed. There are conflicting findings regarding individually ventilated cages(IVC). This study aims to explore the effects of three distinct cage setups and to examine the differences in the impacts of IVC cages, classical cages and classical cages with varying mouse populations. Thirty male C57BL/6J strain mice were split into three groups:IVC, classical small(CC500) and big(CC800) with a floor size of 500 and 800 cm2,respectively. From birth until six months of age, the mice were

The basal ganglia-thalamocortical (BGT) circuit controls the acquisition and production of motor skills in vertebrates, particularly human speech. Motor skills are hypothetically learned through reinforcement learning (RL). In songbirds, male juvenile zebra finches mimic the vocalizations of adults. Even in adulthood, their song may undergo slight modifications. The circuits underlying song learning and plasticity are called the song system.The song system, including the BGT loop and motor pathway, assesses vocal performance and controls song execution. The lateral magnocellular nucleus of the