title: Interference Effect of Prior Explicit Information on Motor Sequence Learning in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most widespread disabling neurological condition in young adults around the world. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of explicit information (EI) on motor-sequence learning in MS patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), age: 29.5 (SD = 5.6) years and 30 healthy gender-, age-, and education-matched control group participants, age: 28.8 (SD = 6.0) years, were recruited for this study. The participants in the healthy group were then randomly assigned into an EI (n= 15) group and a no-EI (n= 15) group. Similarly, the participants in the control group were then randomly assigned into EI (n= 15) and no-EI (n= 15) groups. The participants performed a serial reaction time (SRT) task and reaction times. A retention test was performed after 48 hours.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All participants reduced their reaction times across acquisition (MS group: 46.4 (SD = 3.3) minutes,P< 0.001, and healthy group: 39.4 (SD = 3.3) minutes,P< 0.001). The findings for the within-participants effect of repeated measures of time were significant (F(5.06, 283.7)= 71.33.P< 0.001). These results indicate that the interaction between group and time was significant (F(5.06, 283.7)= 6.44.P< 0.001), which indicated that the reaction time in both groups was significantly changed between the MS and healthy groups across times (B1 to B10). The main effect of the group (MS and healthy) (F(1, 56)= 22.78.P< 0.001) and also the main effect of no-EI vs EI (F(1, 56)= 4.71.P< 0.001) were significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrated that that RRMS patients are capable of learning new skills, but the provision of EI prior to physical practice is deleterious to implicit learning. It is sufficient to educate MS patients on the aim and general content of the training and only to provide feedback at the end of the rehabilitative session.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Nahid
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zahiri
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Iraj
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Abollahi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, MS Research Unit, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Massood
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Nabavi
authors.affiliation: Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ehsani
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Amir Masoud
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Arab
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport and Movement Studies, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
authors.forename: Ina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Ardalan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shariat
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport and Movement Studies, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
authors.forename: Brandon S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Public Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dastoorpoor
authors.affiliation: University of Malaya Centre of Addiction Sciences (UMCAS), Malaysia.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Danaee
authors.affiliation: School of Physiotherapy, Otago University, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Bahram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sangelaji
keywords: motor learning; motor task; multiple sclerosis; neurological disease; serial reaction time task