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SUMMARY:BMI Progress Reports 2021 // Prof. Hummel's Lab: P. Maceira - Opti
 mization of motor skill acquisition in healthy older adults using neuromod
 ulation
DTSTART:20210127T121500
DTEND:20210127T130000
DTSTAMP:20260509T170120Z
UID:7388104bec9ff68e33428c0c1c3f09cd9d1dfd8508277ae797228707
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:P. Maceira\nAgeing often results in functional and structural 
 changes in the brain\, gradually diminishing the ability to acquire new kn
 owledge or novel motor skills. Understanding the underlying mechanisms imp
 airing these abilities and developing methods to maintain or improve them 
 in older adults are crucial goals of translational neuroscience. We first 
 quantified the dynamics of learning a new motor sequence and determined th
 e impact of differential chunking strategies in young\, middle-aged\, and 
 older adults. We found that the young learned the fastest by excellent chu
 nking and benefited from consolidation occurring overnight\, which were bo
 th absent in the other two older groups (i.e.\, middle-aged and old). To a
 ddress the age-related deficits\, we applied learning-enhancing non-invasi
 ve brain stimulation during training of an explicit motor sequence for a w
 eek. The application of verum stimulation\, but not placebo\, significantl
 y boosted learning in the older group\, especially in the most impaired pa
 rticipants\, by driving chunking mechanisms towards young-like improving a
 ccuracy of movements. These improvements were associated to the efficiency
  of inhibitory interneuronal circuits within the motor cortex. These resul
 ts provide an insight into the foundation of age-related motor skill acqui
 sition deficits\, how they can be addressed by interventional strategies b
 ased on non-invasive brain stimulation and how this can impact behavior. T
 his approach is capable of influencing interneuronal dynamics and resultin
 g chunking strategies to improve learning\, especially in individuals with
  neuroplastically imbalanced brains and most significant behavioral impair
 ment.\n 
LOCATION:Oline
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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