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Augmenting cognitive load during split-belt walking increases the generalization of motor memories across walking contexts

View ORCID ProfileDulce M. Mariscal, View ORCID ProfilePablo A. Iturralde, View ORCID ProfileGelsy Torres-Oviedo
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/470930
Dulce M. Mariscal
1Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 15213
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Pablo A. Iturralde
1Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 15213
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Gelsy Torres-Oviedo
1Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 15213
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Abstract

Cognitive load plays a role on the movement recalibration induced by sensorimotor adaptation, but little is known about its impact on the generalization of movements from trained to untrained situations. We hypothesized that altering cognitive load by distracting subjects during sensorimotor adaptation would facilitate the generalization of recalibrated movements beyond the training condition. We reasoned that awareness of the novel condition inducing adaptation could be used to consciously contextualize movements to that particular situation. To test this hypothesis, young adults adapted their gait on a split-belt treadmill (moving their legs at different speeds) while they observed visual information that either distracted them or made them aware of the speed difference between their feet. We assessed the adaptation and aftereffects of spatial and temporal gait features known to adapt and generalize differently when walking on the treadmill or overground. We found similar adaptation and aftereffects on the treadmill across all groups. In contrast, both groups with altered cognitive load (i.e., distraction and awareness groups) generalized their movements from the treadmill to overground more than controls, who walked without altered cognitive load. Of note, this effect was only observed in temporal gait features, which are less susceptible to online motor adjustments, and were eliminated upon experiencing large errors by briefly removing the split perturbation during adaptation (i.e., catch trial). Taken together, increasing cognitive demands during sensorimotor adaptation facilitates the generalization of movement recalibration, but this cognitive-mediated effect cannot eliminate the specificity of actions due to context-specific errors.

New and Noteworthy Little is known about how cognition affects the generalization of motor recalibration induced by sensorimotor adaptation paradigms. We showed that augmenting cognitive load during adaptation on a split-belt treadmill led to greater recalibration of movements without the training device. However, this effect was eliminated when unusual motor errors were experienced on the treadmill. Thus, cognition can influence the generalization of sensorimotor adaptation, but it cannot suppress the context-specificity originated by the errors that one feels.

Acknowledgments

Supported by NSF 1342183, NSF 1535036

Footnotes

  • * Conflict of Interest: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted November 15, 2018.
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Augmenting cognitive load during split-belt walking increases the generalization of motor memories across walking contexts
Dulce M. Mariscal, Pablo A. Iturralde, Gelsy Torres-Oviedo
bioRxiv 470930; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/470930
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Augmenting cognitive load during split-belt walking increases the generalization of motor memories across walking contexts
Dulce M. Mariscal, Pablo A. Iturralde, Gelsy Torres-Oviedo
bioRxiv 470930; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/470930

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