The discovery of the Mirror Neuron System as cerebral network involved in motor learning promoted the development of Mirror Neuron System based interventions such as Action Observation and Motor Imagery to improve the motor skills in humans. These approaches exploit the Mirror Neuron System peculiarity to show an activity during execution, imagination and observation of motor actions and consist of asking subjects to carefully observe video-clips including motor contents (Action Observation) and, after the observation, perform a mental simulation of the observed tasks (Motor Imagery). The rationale for the adoption of these approaches is based on a partial overlap of neural substrates during observation, imagination, and execution of motor acts, which allow the observer to build a motor memory of observed tasks, facilitating the acquisition of new motor skills through the building of a motor memory. Action Observation and Motor Imagery have been reported as effective interventions to improve motor skills in healthy subjects such as upper limb dexterity and locomotor and postural performance and enhance motor and functional recovery in patients with disability deriving from neurological or musculoskeletal conditions. Sleep has been described as a viable strategy to promote the consolidation of a motor memory and enhance motor learning, especially when occurring after motor practice. Early sleep benefits on motor learning have been also described as supported by neurodynamical correlates showing typical patterns of brain activity in specific sleep phases. However, although literature data reported sleep-dependent benefits on motor learning after motor practice, the opportunity to promote sleep-dependent benefits when the acquisition of new motor skills is induced by Mirror Neuron System based interventions has been poorly investigated. The current project aimed at investigating the effects of Mirror Neuron System based approaches such as Action Observation and Motor Imagery followed by sleep on motor learning using multifactorial quantitative outcomes such as functional, kinematic, and neurophysiological parameters. First, after the development and validation of quantitative kinematic parameters for manual dexterity examination, the effects of early sleep after an Action Observation and Motor Imagery training were assessed on manual dexterity in healthy subjects. The results demonstrated that early sleep after Action Observation and Motor Imagery training sessions boosted improvements in manual dexterity and induced an increase in sensorimotor activity at the level of Mirror Neuron System brain areas. The relationship between behavioral changes and modifications in neurodynamical parameters were also explored and described. Subsequently, the effects of early sleep after an Action Observation and Motor Imagery training were investigated on gait and balance abilities in older adults through functional and postural outcomes. The findings demonstrated that Action Observation plus Motor Imagery improved gait and balance abilities, only when early sleep followed the training sessions. The results of the current project support the use of early sleep after Mirror Neuron System approaches as an effective tool to induce or reinforce motor learning and describe the neurophysiological mechanisms better motor performance induced Mirror Neuron System approaches followed by early sleep. The current project also poses the basis for the transfer of the current approach in patients with motor and functional impairments for neurological or musculoskeletal pathological conditions.
La scoperta del Mirror Neuron System come network cerebrale coinvolto nell'apprendimento motorio ha promosso lo sviluppo di interventi basati su di esso, come l'Action Observation e la Motor Imagery, al fine di migliorare le abilità motorie negli esseri umani. Questi approcci sfruttano la peculiarità del Mirror Neuron System di attivarsi durante l'esecuzione, l'immaginazione e l'osservazione di azioni e consistono nel chiedere ai soggetti di osservare attentamente video dal contenuto motorio (Action Observation). Al termine dell'osservazione, ai soggetti è richiesto di eseguire una simulazione mentale dei compiti osservati (Motor Imagery). Il razionale alla base dell'utilizzo di questi approcci si basa su una parziale sovrapposizione dei substrati neurali coinvolti durante l'osservazione, l'immaginazione e l'esecuzione di atti motori. L'attività di tali substrati sembra infatti consentire all'osservatore di costruire una memoria motoria dei compiti osservati, facilitando l'acquisizione di nuove abilità motorie. L'Action Observation e la Motor Imagery sono stati descritti come interventi efficaci per migliorare le abilità motorie come la destrezza dell'arto superiore e le capacità locomotorie e posturali in soggetti sani, oltre che per incentivare il recupero motorio e funzionale in pazienti con disabilità derivante da patologie neurologiche o di natura muscoloscheletrica. Il sonno è stato descritto come una valida strategia per promuovere il consolidamento della memoria motoria e migliorare l'apprendimento motorio, soprattutto se somministrato immediatamente dopo la pratica motoria. Tali benefici sono inoltre supportati da correlati neuro-dinamici che mostrano tipici pattern di attività cerebrale in specifiche fasi del sonno. Tuttavia, sebbene i dati della letteratura riportino benefici indotti dal sonno sull'apprendimento motorio, l'opportunità di promuovere apprendimento motorio attraverso il sonno quando l'acquisizione di nuove abilità motorie viene indotta tramite interventi basati sullo sfruttamento del Mirror Neuron System è stata poco studiata. Il progetto attuale è indirizzato a studiare gli effetti degli approcci basati sullo sfruttamento del Mirror Neuron System, come Action Observation e Motor Imagery seguiti dal sonno sull'apprendimento motorio, utilizzando misure di outcome quantitative multifattoriali come parametri funzionali, cinematici e neurofisiologici. In primo luogo, dopo lo sviluppo e la validazione di parametri cinematici quantitativi per l'analisi della destrezza manuale, gli effetti del sonno precoce dopo un allenamento di Action Observation e Motor Imagery sulla destrezza manuale sono stati valutati in soggetti sani. I risultati hanno dimostrato che il sonno somministrato immediatamente dopo le sessioni di Action Observation e Motor Imagery ha incrementato i miglioramenti di destrezza manuale e indotto un aumento dell'attività corticale sensomotoria a livello del Mirror Neuron System. È stata inoltre esplorata e descritta la relazione tra i cambiamenti comportamentali e le modifiche di tali parametri neuro-dinamici. Successivamente, sono stati studiati gli effetti del sonno somministrato immediatamente dopo un training di Action Observation e Motor Imagery sulle capacità locomotorie e di equilibrio in soggetti anziani attraverso misure di outcome funzionali e posturali. I risultati hanno dimostrato che Action Observation e Motor Imagery migliorano le capacità di deambulazione e di equilibrio solo quando il sonno precoce viene somministrato al termine delle sessioni di allenamento. I risultati di tale progetto supportano dunque l'uso del sonno precoce dopo approcci basati sullo sfruttamento del Mirror Neuron System per indurre o rafforzare l'apprendimento motorio e descrivono i meccanismi neurofisiologici alla base del miglioramento di tali prestazioni motorie. Il progetto pone anche le basi per il trasferimento di questo approccio in pazienti con compromissioni motorie e funzionali a causa di condizioni patologiche di natura muscoloscheletrica o neurologica.
Enhancing motor learning through early sleep after mirror neuron system based approaches in humans
Temporiti, Federico
2023/2024
Abstract
The discovery of the Mirror Neuron System as cerebral network involved in motor learning promoted the development of Mirror Neuron System based interventions such as Action Observation and Motor Imagery to improve the motor skills in humans. These approaches exploit the Mirror Neuron System peculiarity to show an activity during execution, imagination and observation of motor actions and consist of asking subjects to carefully observe video-clips including motor contents (Action Observation) and, after the observation, perform a mental simulation of the observed tasks (Motor Imagery). The rationale for the adoption of these approaches is based on a partial overlap of neural substrates during observation, imagination, and execution of motor acts, which allow the observer to build a motor memory of observed tasks, facilitating the acquisition of new motor skills through the building of a motor memory. Action Observation and Motor Imagery have been reported as effective interventions to improve motor skills in healthy subjects such as upper limb dexterity and locomotor and postural performance and enhance motor and functional recovery in patients with disability deriving from neurological or musculoskeletal conditions. Sleep has been described as a viable strategy to promote the consolidation of a motor memory and enhance motor learning, especially when occurring after motor practice. Early sleep benefits on motor learning have been also described as supported by neurodynamical correlates showing typical patterns of brain activity in specific sleep phases. However, although literature data reported sleep-dependent benefits on motor learning after motor practice, the opportunity to promote sleep-dependent benefits when the acquisition of new motor skills is induced by Mirror Neuron System based interventions has been poorly investigated. The current project aimed at investigating the effects of Mirror Neuron System based approaches such as Action Observation and Motor Imagery followed by sleep on motor learning using multifactorial quantitative outcomes such as functional, kinematic, and neurophysiological parameters. First, after the development and validation of quantitative kinematic parameters for manual dexterity examination, the effects of early sleep after an Action Observation and Motor Imagery training were assessed on manual dexterity in healthy subjects. The results demonstrated that early sleep after Action Observation and Motor Imagery training sessions boosted improvements in manual dexterity and induced an increase in sensorimotor activity at the level of Mirror Neuron System brain areas. The relationship between behavioral changes and modifications in neurodynamical parameters were also explored and described. Subsequently, the effects of early sleep after an Action Observation and Motor Imagery training were investigated on gait and balance abilities in older adults through functional and postural outcomes. The findings demonstrated that Action Observation plus Motor Imagery improved gait and balance abilities, only when early sleep followed the training sessions. The results of the current project support the use of early sleep after Mirror Neuron System approaches as an effective tool to induce or reinforce motor learning and describe the neurophysiological mechanisms better motor performance induced Mirror Neuron System approaches followed by early sleep. The current project also poses the basis for the transfer of the current approach in patients with motor and functional impairments for neurological or musculoskeletal pathological conditions.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/216552