Replacing the Traditional “Practice Makes Perfect” Paradigms

Replacing the Traditional “Practice Makes Perfect” Paradigms Prof. Nitzan Censor, Ph.D.
Learning motor skills commonly requires repeated practice to achieve improvements in performance. Based on memory reactivation frameworks at the synaptic, systems, and behavioral levels, we tested whether brief memory reactivations can induce learning in motor skills. To address this concept, we combined an experimental design spanning across 1 wk from test to retest, with brief motor memory reactivations. Results revealed that brief, continuous, and error-free reactivations of the motor skill memory were successful in inducing learning gains. Corticospinal excitability measures collected using transcranial magnetic stimulation over primary motor cortex correlated with retest and transfer performance. These results demonstrate a unique form of rapid motor skill learning and may have far-reaching implications, for example, in accelerating motor rehabilitation following neurological injuries.