Perceptual Learning Study in Sensory and Motor Function

Overseen By Hannah Block, PhD

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Indiana University

Disqualifiers: Neurological disorders, Orthopedic conditions, Pain conditions, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

120 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

The purpose of this study is to understand how the sensory and motor areas of the brain work together to keep a person's hand movements accurate (sensorimotor learning). The investigators hope this information may be useful one day to improve rehabilitation techniques in patients with brain lesions.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of this treatment in the Perceptual Learning Study in Sensory and Motor Function?

Research shows that sensory and motor learning can improve tactile and proprioceptive (sense of body position) abilities in stroke patients, suggesting that similar training might enhance sensory and motor functions in other contexts. Additionally, placebo effects, which are improvements due to belief in treatment rather than the treatment itself, can be conditioned and may contribute to perceived effectiveness. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is perceptual learning in sensory and motor function safe for humans?

The studies suggest that perceptual learning, which involves training the brain to improve sensory and motor skills, is generally safe for humans. These studies did not report any harmful effects, indicating that this type of training is well-tolerated. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

How does the Perceptual Learning Study in Sensory and Motor Function treatment differ from other treatments?

This treatment is unique because it combines perceptual learning with motor learning, which means it not only focuses on improving motor skills but also enhances sensory perception. This dual approach leads to changes in both sensory and motor areas of the brain, potentially offering more comprehensive improvements in sensorimotor function compared to treatments that target only motor or sensory systems separately. ^{6 7 11 12 13}

Research Team

Hannah Block

Principal Investigator

Indiana University, Bloomington

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for right-handed individuals aged 18-45, free of COVID symptoms and fully vaccinated or with a recent negative test. Exclusions include BMI over 30, inability to perform tasks or follow instructions, IUD users without MR compatibility confirmation, claustrophobia, pregnancy, vision issues not correctable by MRI-compatible glasses at the center, neurological disorders or upper limb conditions.

Inclusion Criteria

Right-handed

I have not had COVID-19 symptoms in the last week.

I am between 18 and 45 years old.

Exclusion Criteria

Pregnant women or those who suspect they might be pregnant

I can follow instructions and perform tasks during the study.

Use of an intra-uterine device (IUD) whose MR compatibility has not been established

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Familiarization

Participants undergo a familiarization session for fMRI and the behavioral task

30-40 minutes

1 visit (in-person)

Main Session

Participants perform the main session tasks including resting state scans and behavioral tasks

2 hours

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for any immediate effects post-session

1 day

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Control
• Motor learning
• Perceptual learning

Trial Overview The study aims to explore how sensory and motor brain areas collaborate during hand movement learning. Participants will engage in perceptual learning while their brain function is monitored. The goal is to gather insights that could enhance rehabilitation methods for patients with brain damage.

Participant Groups

Group I: Perceptual learning Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Reaching task in which visual information about target finger position is offset to induce a change in perception of the finger.

Group II: Control Active Control 1 Intervention

Reaching task with accurate visual information.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Indiana University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,063

Recruited

1,182,000+

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Collaborator

Trials

1,403

Recruited

655,000+

Findings from Research

In a study involving 13 healthy young adults, repeated administrations of the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) showed a significant learning effect, with performance improving notably after three sessions and maintaining those gains after one month.

A change of more than 8 points in the composite score of the SOT indicates a clinically meaningful improvement, suggesting that multiple baseline measures are beneficial for assessing rehabilitation progress.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Learning effects of repetitive administrations of the sensory organization test in healthy young adults. Wrisley, DM., Stephens, MJ., Mosley, S., et al.[2022]

The study involving 30 healthy volunteers found that performing the sensory organization test multiple times led to significant improvements in equilibrium scores, indicating a practice effect.

Clinicians and researchers should consider allowing one practice trial before recording baseline measurements, as initial tests showed notable increases in scores, particularly under specific conditions like vision removal.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Assessment of a practice effect in serial sensory organization testing scores of healthy adults. Grindstaff, TL., Christiano, KE., Broos, AM., et al.[2019]

Placebo effects can lead to real health improvements and are influenced by brain regions and neurotransmitter systems, such as opiate and dopamine pathways, highlighting their importance in clinical trials.

A patient's expectation of improvement can significantly impact treatment outcomes, sometimes rivaling the effects of active interventions, suggesting that enhancing this expectancy could be crucial for effective patient care.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Placebo effects: clinical aspects and neurobiology. Oken, BS.[2022]

A new somatosensory retraining program for stroke patients showed significant improvements in tactile and proprioceptive discrimination, with seven out of eight tactile measures and all four proprioceptive measures demonstrating positive changes after treatment.

The improvements were clinically significant, with the affected hand's discrimination abilities becoming comparable to the unaffected hand, and these benefits were maintained during follow-up assessments conducted 3 to 5 months later.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sensory loss in stroke patients: effective training of tactile and proprioceptive discrimination. Carey, LM., Matyas, TA., Oke, LE.[2022]

The study demonstrated that placebo responses can be conditioned in humans, meaning that people can learn to associate a placebo with either pain relief or increased pain based on prior experiences.

By manipulating nociceptive stimulation levels during the conditioning phase, the researchers showed that both positive (pain relief) and negative (pain exacerbation) placebo effects can be induced, highlighting the potential for using learning theories to understand and harness placebo effects in clinical settings.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Conditioned placebo responses. Voudouris, NJ., Peck, CL., Coleman, G.[2019]

Motor learning can lead to significant changes in sensory perception, specifically in how individuals sense their limb position, even after just 10 minutes of training, with effects lasting up to 24 hours.

These sensory changes are directly linked to the motor learning process; passive movement without active learning does not produce similar sensory alterations, highlighting the interconnectedness of motor and sensory systems in the brain.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Somatosensory plasticity and motor learning. Ostry, DJ., Darainy, M., Mattar, AA., et al.[2022]

Perceptual training, where subjects identify the direction of passive arm movements, significantly enhances motor performance and sensorimotor adaptation, indicating that improving sensory perception is crucial for motor skill acquisition.

The benefits of perceptual learning last for at least 24 hours and are linked to increased perceptual acuity, suggesting that engaging both sensory and motor systems together can lead to better learning outcomes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Perceptual learning in sensorimotor adaptation. Darainy, M., Vahdat, S., Ostry, DJ.[2022]

In a study involving 20 healthy adults, adding visual feedback to auditory cues during roll tilt perceptual training resulted in varied outcomes, with some individuals showing improved vestibular perception while others experienced increased thresholds.

The training protocol, which included 1,300 trials over 5 days, demonstrated that while visual feedback can enhance perceptual precision for some, the overall results were inconsistent, indicating a need for further research to optimize training methods.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Influence of Visual Feedback on Roll Tilt Perceptual Training. Wagner, AR., Merfeld, DM.[2023]

Passive multimodal training, which involves guided movement, is more effective than active multimodal training for improving spatial perception in both auditory and proprioceptive domains among 36 healthy young adults.

Combined audio-motor training significantly enhances spatial localization abilities compared to unimodal training, indicating that using multiple sensory feedback modalities is more efficient for recalibrating spatial perception.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Audio Feedback Associated With Body Movement Enhances Audio and Somatosensory Spatial Representation. Cuppone, AV., Cappagli, G., Gori, M.[2023]

In early motor skill acquisition, learning through passive movements with reinforcement is as effective as learning through active movements, showing that both methods lead to significant and lasting improvements in motor skills, even after a week.

The study highlights that the somatosensory system plays a crucial role in early motor learning, suggesting that rehabilitation strategies for patients with limited mobility should incorporate passive movements paired with reinforcement to enhance motor learning outcomes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Somatosensory Contribution to the Initial Stages of Human Motor Learning. Bernardi, NF., Darainy, M., Ostry, DJ.[2022]

The study used fMRI scans to show that perceptual learning, specifically through a somatosensory discrimination task, leads to changes in the brain's frontal motor areas, indicating a direct link between sensory learning and motor skill acquisition.

By separating perceptual and motor learning, the research highlights that improvements in motor behavior are influenced by changes in sensory brain regions, suggesting that enhancing sensory skills can directly impact motor learning.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Structure of plasticity in human sensory and motor networks due to perceptual learning. Vahdat, S., Darainy, M., Ostry, DJ.[2022]

Motor learning not only alters activity in motor areas of the brain but also leads to persistent changes in sensory networks, specifically involving the second somatosensory cortex and other related areas.

The study identified distinct brain networks associated with motor learning and perceptual changes, demonstrating reliable links between neuroplastic changes and improvements in motor skills and sensory perception.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Functionally specific changes in resting-state sensorimotor networks after motor learning. Vahdat, S., Darainy, M., Milner, TE., et al.[2022]

Motor skill acquisition involves both perceptual and motor learning, indicating that changes in how we perceive can directly influence our movements and vice versa.

Research on human limb movement and speech suggests that the brain's sensory and motor systems are interconnected, highlighting the importance of perceptual learning and sensory plasticity in enhancing motor learning.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sensory Plasticity in Human Motor Learning. Ostry, DJ., Gribble, PL.[2018]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Learning effects of repetitive administrations of the sensory organization test in healthy young adults. [2022]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Assessment of a practice effect in serial sensory organization testing scores of healthy adults. [2019]

3. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Placebo effects: clinical aspects and neurobiology. [2022]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sensory loss in stroke patients: effective training of tactile and proprioceptive discrimination. [2022]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Conditioned placebo responses. [2019]

6. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Somatosensory plasticity and motor learning. [2022]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Perceptual learning in sensorimotor adaptation. [2022]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Influence of Visual Feedback on Roll Tilt Perceptual Training. [2023]

9. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Audio Feedback Associated With Body Movement Enhances Audio and Somatosensory Spatial Representation. [2023]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Somatosensory Contribution to the Initial Stages of Human Motor Learning. [2022]

11. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Structure of plasticity in human sensory and motor networks due to perceptual learning. [2022]

12. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Functionally specific changes in resting-state sensorimotor networks after motor learning. [2022]

13. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sensory Plasticity in Human Motor Learning. [2018]