Learning from learning: what can visuomotor adaptations tell us about the neuronal representation of movement?

Abstract

The use of sensorimotor adaptation and learning paradigms in psychophyical and electrophysiological experiments can help to shed light on two fundamental questions. First, what are the computations that control sensorimotor behavior and, second, what are the neuronal mechanisms and representations underlying newly learned sensorimotor skills? We describe experiments that combined behavioral and electrophysioloigcal techniques and discuss implication of the results to three main questions: How do neuronal primitives of representation affect performance and learning? Do pre-motor and primary motor cortices form a hierarchy of computation, with different roles during learning and motor performance? How do these different cortical areas and the representations of movement change during the different stages of learning and memory formation?