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Multi-compartment model can explain partial transfer of learning within the same limb between unimanual and bimanual reaching

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Abstract

Multi-limb motor skills, such as swimming and rowing, often involve isolated practice of each limb (unimanual) followed by practice with both limbs together (bimanual). We recently demonstrated that learning a novel load during unimanual reaching is partially, but not completely transferred to the same limb during bimanual reaching (and vice versa), learning can remain hidden and only revealed by the original context, and the ability to learn two conflicting force fields if each was separately associated with unimanual and bimanual reaching (Nozaki et al. 2006). The purpose of the present article is to develop a formal state-space model to conceptualize and interpret these complex experimental results. The model contains three separate compartments for learning, a unimanual-specific, a bimanual-specific, and an overlapping compartment, and the internal state of each compartment is updated context-dependently according to motor errors. The model was able to capture all major aspects of motor learning across these two behaviours and predict further complexities during washout trials when bimanual and unimanual trials are interleaved. We propose that partial, but not complete transfer of motor learning is due to a corresponding partial overlap in neural control processes across these behaviours, and is a general feature of different classes of voluntary motor behaviour, such as postural control, point-to-point reaching, manual tracking and oscillatory movements.

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Acknowledgments

We thank members of the Scott lab for helpful comments, and K. Moore for expert technical help. This work was supported by KAKENHI (#18500456, #20670008) and a CASIO Science Promotion Foundation to D.N., and a grant from the National Science and Engineering Research Council to S.H.S. S.H.S is co-founder and CSO of BKIN Technologies, which commercializes the robotic technology used in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Education, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

    Daichi Nozaki

  2. Kobe Advanced ICT Research Center, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Keihanna Science City, Kyoto, 619-0288, Japan

    Daichi Nozaki

  3. Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada

    Stephen H. Scott

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  1. Daichi Nozaki
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  2. Stephen H. Scott
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Correspondence to Daichi Nozaki.

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221_2009_1720_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Determination of model parameters. a Lateral hand deviation at peak velocity during the learning phase of Experiment 1 (closed circle). The solid line indicates the curve [Eq. (13) in the main text] fitted using a least squares method. b Relationship between the degree of overlap and the learning transfer obtained from the 3 compartments model with global (circles) and local (triangles) update rules. The degree of overlap of the model was obtained from the motor learning transfer from bimanual to unimanual movement or from unimanual to bimanual movement observed in Experiment 1. (PDF 258 kb)

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Nozaki, D., Scott, S.H. Multi-compartment model can explain partial transfer of learning within the same limb between unimanual and bimanual reaching. Exp Brain Res 194, 451–463 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-009-1720-x

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