title: Background matters: Minor vibratory stimulation during motor skill acquisition selectively reduces off-line memory consolidation.
abstract: Although a ubiquitous situation, it is not clear how effective is a learning experience when task-irrelevant, sensory noise occurs in the background. Here, young adults were trained on the finger opposition sequence task, in a well-established training and testing protocol affording measures for online as well as off-line learning. During the training session, one group experienced a minor background vibratory stimulation to the trunk by the means of vibrating cushion, while the second group experienced recorded sound vibrations. A control group was trained with no extra sensory stimulation. Sensory stimulation during training had no effect on the online within-session gains, but dampened the expression of the off-line, consolidation phase, gains in the two sensory stimulation groups. These results suggest that background sensory stimulation can selectively modify off-line, procedural memory consolidation processes, despite well-preserved on-line learning. Classical studies have shown that neural plasticity in sensory systems is modulated by motor input. The current results extend this notion and suggest that some types of task-irrelevant sensory stimulation, concurrent with motor training, may constitute a 'gating' factor - modulating the triggering of long-term procedural memory consolidation processes. Thus, vibratory stimulation may be considered as a behavioral counterpart of pharmacological interventions that do not interfere with short term neural plasticity but block long-term plasticity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare & Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: korman.maria@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Korman
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Zohar
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Herling
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare & Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Ishay
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare & Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Nebal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Egbarieh
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare & Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Batya
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Engel-Yeger
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Avi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D000069077:Memory Consolidation / Q000502:physiology*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D014732:Vibration; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Consolidation; Online and offline learning; Procedural memory; Sensory interference; Sensory stimulation; Vibratory noise; Whole-body vibration