Visual target separation determines the extent of generalisation between opposing visuomotor rotations

Daniel G. Woolley, Aymar de Rugy, Richard G. Carson, Stephan Riek
Exp Brain Res. 2011-05-12; 212(2): 213-224
DOI: 10.1007/s00221-011-2720-1

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1. Exp Brain Res. 2011 Jul;212(2):213-24. doi: 10.1007/s00221-011-2720-1. Epub 2011
May 12.

Visual target separation determines the extent of generalisation between opposing
visuomotor rotations.

Woolley DG(1), de Rugy A, Carson RG, Riek S.

Author information:
(1)Department of Biomedical Kinesiology, Research Centre for Movement Control and
Neuroplasticity, K.U. Leuven, Tervuursevest 101, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium.

Here we investigated the influence of angular separation between visual and motor
targets on concurrent adaptation to two opposing visuomotor rotations. We
inferred the extent of generalisation between opposing visuomotor rotations at
individual target locations based on whether interference (negative transfer) was
present. Our main finding was that dual adaptation occurred to opposing
visuomotor rotations when each was associated with different visual targets but
shared a common motor target. Dual adaptation could have been achieved either
within a single sensorimotor map (i.e. with different mappings associated with
different ranges of visual input), or by forming two different internal models
(the selection of which would be based on contextual information provided by
target location). In the present case, the pattern of generalisation was
dependent on the relative position of the visual targets associated with each
rotation. Visual targets nearest the workspace of the opposing visuomotor
rotation exhibited the most interference (i.e. generalisation). When the minimum
angular separation between visual targets was increased, the extent of
interference was reduced. These results suggest that the separation in the range
of sensory inputs is the critical requirement to support dual adaptation within a
single sensorimotor mapping.

DOI: 10.1007/s00221-011-2720-1
PMID: 21562858 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Auteurs Bordeaux Neurocampus