Feedback-Related Neuronal Processing During Motor Learning

Motor learning has been widely examined using electroencephalography (EEG) to record event related potentials (ERP). ERPs occur in response to given stimuli and represent underlying neural processes that are either modifying or being modified by motor learning. This study seeks to examine how movement feedback changes neural activity (i.e. ERPs) in the motor cortex, and more specifically, if feedback-related neuronal activity is modified by motor learning and visual feedback. A novel visuomotor rotation task was employed in which participants adapted their movement to a 30- degree counter-clockwise rotation. Feedback was given through the presence or absence of the trajectory line of participants’ movement. Surface EEG was utilized to record cortical neural activity throughout the motor task. Event related potentials were obtained at electrodes Cz and FCz. Behavioral data shows that participants successfully learned the visuomotor task over time. There was a significant difference in amplitude of ERPs between conditions where visual feedback was present and conditions where visual feedback was absent. However, the average ERPs amplitudes were not changed by learning. These results suggest that feedback-related neuronal activity contributes to processing visual sensory feedback, but not motor adaptation, during the task