title: Understanding task- and expertise-specific motor acquisition and motor memory formation and consolidation.
abstract: This study aimed to assess how the capacity to acquire, form and consolidate motor memories might vary across different tasks and different groups (with and without motor expertise). 20 athletes and 21 non-athletes were tested on five motor tasks: a motor sequence task, a reaction time task, two visuo-manual tasks, and a balance task. Performance was measured before training (T0), immediately after training (T1), and 24 hours after training (T2), to assess motor acquisition and motor memory formation and consolidation. T2 performance was higher in both groups, without additional training, on the motor sequence task, reaction time task and one of the visuo-manual tasks (Pouring Task). Athletes had better baseline performance at TO than non-athletes on these tasks. Findings suggest that differential formation and consolidation processes underlie different motor tasks. Although athletes did not outperform non-athletes on motor memory consolidation, they were more efficient in acquiring novel tasks, perhaps because the required motor schemas might have been based on previously acquired ones.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Sciences, Portuguese Catholic University, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Tiago
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Human Kinetics, Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Abreu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Sciences, Portuguese Catholic University, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castro-Caldas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001245:Association Learning; D056352:Athletes / Q000523:psychology*; D054874:Athletic Performance; D001288:Attention; D005260:Female; D006173:Gymnastics / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D004856:Postural Balance; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D012691:Serial Learning; D055815:Young Adult