Rapid updating of sensorimotor memory in grasping virtual objects

  • A. Nuruki (Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, Japan)
  • T. Kawabata
  • K. Yunokuchi
  • H. Hokazono (Department of Information Science and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kagoshima University, Japan)
  • A. Maruyama (Department of Health and Sports science, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Japan)
  • M. DAVARE (Institute of Neurology, University College of London, UK)
  • R. N. LEMON
  • J. C. ROTHWELL

We studied whether a conflict between vision and haptics in the previous lift has an effect on the force planning of the next lift using virtual objects. In 20% of trials, size (3 or 7 cm tall) and weight (1 or 3.5 N) were incongruent. We quantified the grip force (GF) rate peak as a behavioural read-out of force planning and used transcranial magnetic stimulation to probe corticospinal excitability (CSE). We showed that GF rate peaks were significantly changed after trial of a visuo-haptic conflict and CSE followed the same trend as the GF rate. Our results show that the motor system is capable to bias the sensorimotor memory by rapidly learning a new size-weight relationship.
Last-modified: 2012-12-18 (火) 15:56:32