Good info for us to understand as we recover. So maybe my continual switching from task to task is helpful. It needs to be compared to massed practice and see at what point the switching should occur.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-motor-memory-short.html
The research — from a team led by Nicolas Schweighofer of the
Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at USC — could
potentially pave the way to more effective rehabilitation for stroke
patients.
It turns out that the phenomenon of motor memory is actually the product of two processes: short-term and long-term memory.
If you focus on learning motor skills sequentially — for example, two
overhand ball throws — you will acquire each fairly quickly, but are
more likely to forget them later. However, if you split your time up
between learning multiple motor skills — say, learning two different
throws — you will learn them more slowly but be more likely to remember
them both later.
This phenomenon, called the "contextual interference effect," is the
result of a showdown between your short-term and long-term motor memory,
Schweighofer said. Though scientists have long been aware of the
effect's existence, Schweighofer's research is the first to explain the
mechanism behind it.
"Continually wiping out motor short-term memory helps update long-term memory," he said.
In short, if your brain can rely on your short-term motor memory
to handle memorizing a single motor task, then it will do so, failing
to engage your long-term memory in the process. If you deny your brain
that option by continually switching from learning one task to the
other, your long-term memory will kick in instead. It will take longer
to learn both, but you won't forget them later.
"It is much more difficult for people to learn two tasks," he said.
"But in the random training there was no significant forgetting."
Schweighofer uncovered the mechanism while exploring the puzzling
results of spatial working memory tests in individuals who had suffered a
brain stroke.
Those individuals, whose short-term memory is damaged from the
stroke, show better long-term retention because they are forced to rely
on their long-term memories.
Schweighofer's paper appears in the August issue of Journal of Neurophysiology.
In the long term, he said he hopes this research could help lead to
computer programs that optimize rehabilitation for stroke patients,
determining what method of training will work best for each individual.
No comments:
Post a Comment