title: Balance maintenance as an acquired motor skill: Delayed gains and robust retention after a single session of training in a virtual environment.
abstract: Does the learning of a balance and stability skill exhibit time-course phases and transfer limitations characteristic of the acquisition and consolidation of voluntary movement sequences? Here we followed the performance of young adults trained in maintaining balance while standing on a moving platform synchronized with a virtual reality road travel scene. The training protocol included eight 3 min long iterations of the road scene. Center of Pressure (CoP) displacements were analyzed for each task iteration within the training session, as well as during tests at 24h, 4 weeks and 12 weeks post-training to test for consolidation phase ("offline") gains and assess retention. In addition, CoP displacements in reaction to external perturbations were assessed before and after the training session and in the 3 subsequent post-training assessments (stability tests). There were significant reductions in CoP displacements as experience accumulated within session, with performance stabilizing by the end of the session. However, CoP displacements were further reduced at 24h post-training (delayed "offline" gains) and these gains were robustly retained. There was no transfer of the practice-related gains to performance in the stability tests. The time-course of learning the balance maintenance task, as well as the limitation on generalizing the gains to untrained conditions, are in line with the results of studies of manual movement skill learning. The current results support the conjecture that a similar repertoire of basic neuronal mechanisms of plasticity may underlay skill (procedural, "how to" knowledge) acquisition and skill memory consolidation in voluntary and balance maintenance tasks.
authors: The Center for Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Hospital, C. Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel; Department of Human Biology and Sagol Department of Neurobiology & Ethology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: orit.elion@gmail.com.
authors: Orit
authors: O
authors: Elion
authors: The Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: itamar.sela01@gmail.com.
authors: Itamar
authors: I
authors: Sela
authors: The Center for Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Hospital, C. Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
authors: Yotam
authors: Y
authors: Bahat
authors: Department for Orthopedic Rehabilitation, The Rehabilitation Hospital, C. Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel. Electronic address: itzhak.siev-ner@sheba.health.gov.il.
authors: Itzhak
authors: I
authors: Siev-Ner
authors: Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: plweiss@gmail.com.
authors: Patrice L Tamar
authors: PL
authors: Weiss
authors: The Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Israel; Department of Human Biology and Sagol Department of Neurobiology & Ethology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel; FMRI Unit, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, C. Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel. Electronic address: avi.karni@yahoo.com.
authors: Avi
authors: A
authors: Karni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011312:Pressure; D013997:Time Factors; D014584:User-Computer Interface
keywords: Acquisition; Balance; Motor skill; Time-course; Virtual reality