A new study by Dartmouth researchers says that watching others may also be a good way to sharpen your skills.
Titled "Sensitivity of the Action Observation Network to Physical and Observational Learning," the study determined that people can acquire motor skills through the "seeing" as well as the "doing" form of learning.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Encyclopedia section of medindia gives general info about Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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"It's been established in previous research that there are correlations in behavioral performance between active and passive learning, but in this study we were surprised by the remarkable similarity in brain activation when our research participants observed dance sequences that were actively or passively experienced," said Emily Cross, the principal investigator and PhD student at Dartmouth.
In the study, the researchers used a video game where players have to move in a particular sequence to match the position of arrows on the screen, similar to the popular Dance Dance Revolution game. The skill level of participants was then measured for sequences that were actively rehearsed daily, and a different set of sequences that were passively observed for an equivalent amount of time.
![A Toothless Smile to Give You a High!]( "A Toothless Smile to Give You a High!")
If mums want to experience a natural 'high' then all they need to do is take a look at their baby's smile, say researchers.
The researchers used fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging to capture the brain activity when watching both kinds of sequences (as well as a third set of sequences that were entirely unfamiliar).
The study focused on the Action Observance Network (AON) in the brain, a group of neural regions found mostly in the inferior parietal and premotor cortices of the brain (near the top of the head) responsible for motor skills and some memory functions.
"We collected fMRI data before and after five days of both visual and physical training, and there was common AON activity when watching the practiced and observed dance sequences," said Cross.
The study provides new insights into how people learn and how best to help people with brain injuries. Cross explained that future studies might consider how such overlap between physical and observational learning at the brain level can improve upon rehabilitation therapies for individuals affected by physical or neurological injury.
The study is published in the journal Cerebral Cortex in May 2008.
Source: ANI
RAS/L
A Toothless Smile to Give You a High!
If mums want to experience a natural 'high' then all they need to do is take a look at their baby's smile, say researchers.
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The researchers used fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging to capture the brain activity when watching both kinds of sequences (as well as a third set of sequences that were entirely unfamiliar).
The study focused on the Action Observance Network (AON) in the brain, a group of neural regions found mostly in the inferior parietal and premotor cortices of the brain (near the top of the head) responsible for motor skills and some memory functions.
"We collected fMRI data before and after five days of both visual and physical training, and there was common AON activity when watching the practiced and observed dance sequences," said Cross.
The study provides new insights into how people learn and how best to help people with brain injuries. Cross explained that future studies might consider how such overlap between physical and observational learning at the brain level can improve upon rehabilitation therapies for individuals affected by physical or neurological injury.
The study is published in the journal Cerebral Cortex in May 2008.
Source: ANI
RAS/L
Brain Imaging Technique Could Help to Determine Effectiveness of Anxiety Treatment
A new study suggests that use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can help doctors predict whether patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) would benefit from the
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