Konczak (2002) Force adaptation transfers to untrained workspace regions in children

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Force adaptation transfers to untrained workspace regions in children

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CONTRIBUTORS:

Author:

Konczak, Jürgen (University of Minnesota Twin Cities)

JOURNAL:

Experimental brain research, 143(??), 212 - 220.

YEAR:

2002

PUB TYPE:

Journal Article

SUBJECT(S):

development - human - motor control - motor learning - sensorimotor adaptation

DISCIPLINE:

Psychology

HTTP:

LANGUAGE:

English

PUB ID:

103-376-366 (Last edited on 2002/04/24 08:06:27 GMT-6)

SPONSOR(S):

ABSTRACT:
When humans perform goal-directed arm movements under the influence of an external damping force, they learn to adapt to these external dynamics. After removal of the external force field, they reveal kinematic after-effects that are indicative of a neural controller that still compensates the no longer existing force. Such behaviour suggests that the adult human nervous system uses a neural representation of the inverse arm dynamics to control upper extremity motion. Central to the notion of an IDM is that learning generalises. Consequently, after-effects should be observable even in untrained workspace regions. Adults have shown such behaviour, but the ontogenetic development of this process remains unclear. This study examines the adaptive behaviour of children and investigates whether learning a force field in one hemi-field of the right arm workspace has an effect on force adaptation in the other hemi-field. Thirty children (age 6-10 years) and 10 adults performed 30-degree elbow flexion movements under two conditions of external damping (negative and null). We found that learning to compensate an external damping force transferred to the opposite hemi-field, which indicates that a model of the limb dynamics rather than an association of visited space and experienced force was acquired. After-effects were more pronounced in the younger children and readaptation to a null-force condition was prolonged. This finding is consistent with the view that IDMs in children are imprecise neural representations of the actual arm dynamics. It indicates that the acquisition of IDMs is a developmental achievement and that the human motor system is inherently flexible to adapt to any novel force within the limits of the organism's biomechanics.

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