Research article summary (published 18 May 2009):

Learning optimal adaptation strategies in unpredictable motor tasks.

Full Abstract

Picking up an empty milk carton that we believe to be full is a familiar example of adaptive control, because the adaptation process of estimating the carton's weight must proceed simultaneously with the control process of moving the carton to a desired location. Here we show that the motor system initially generates highly variable behavior in such unpredictable tasks but eventually converges to stereotyped patterns of adaptive responses predicted by a simple optimality principle. These results suggest that adaptation can become specifically tuned to identify task-specific parameters in an optimal manner.

Author information

Author/s: Braun, Daniel A (DA); Aertsen, Ad (A); Wolpert, Daniel M (DM); Mehring, Carsten (C);

Affiliation: Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Albert Ludwig University, 79104 Freiburg, Germany. dab54(-atsign-)cam.ac.uk

Grants: (Agency:Wellcome Trust)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (J Neurosci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-May; vol 29 (issue 20) : pp 6472-8

Dates: Created 2009/05/21; Completed 2009/06/08; Revised 2009/06/09;

PMID: 19458218, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 6/10/2009, IMS Date: 10 Jun 2009 00:00:00)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adaptation, Physiological - physiology Computer Simulation Feedback - physiology Humans Learning - physiology Models, Biological

Models, Biological Motor Skills - physiology Movement - physiology Predictive Value of Tests Rotation Task Performance and Analysis

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