Proactive Interference as a Result of Persisting Neural Representations of Previously Learned Motor Skills in Primary Motor Cortex

• Published in: Journal of cognitive neuroscience Vol. 18; no. 12; pp. 2167 - 2176
• Main Authors: Cothros, Nicholas, Köhler, Stefan, Dickie, Erin W., Mirsattari, Seyed M., Gribble, Paul L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: One Rogers Street, Cambridge, MA 02142-1209, USA MIT Press 01.12.2006; MIT Press Journals, The
• Subjects: Algorithms; Anatomical correlates of behavior; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain research; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Learning - physiology; Magnetic fields; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Motor Cortex - anatomy & histology; Motor Cortex - physiology; Motor Skills - physiology; Movement; Nervous system; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Human; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Motor cortex; Memory; Proactive interference; Cognition; Motor control; Motricity
• ISSN: 0898-929X; 1530-8898
• DOI: 10.1162/jocn.2006.18.12.2167

Learning to control movements in different dynamic environments is marked by proactive interference; learning a first skill interferes with the subsequent learning of a second one. The neural basis of this effect is poorly understood. We tested the idea that proactive interference results from persisting neural representations of previously learned skills in the primary motor cortex (M1). We used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of M1 to disrupt retention of a recently learned motor skill. If interference results from the retention of this skill then its disruption should be associated with reduced interference. Subjects reached to targets while interacting with a robotic arm that applied force fields to the limb. Fifteen minutes of 1-Hz rTMS to M1 impaired the retention of a first force field, and more importantly, reduced proactive interference when subjects learned a second one. Our findings suggest that retention and interference are linked at the level of M1.