Neural Mechanisms of the Contextual Interference Effect: A fNIRs and EEG Study (GRID12007)

The overall goal of this study is to gain insight into the neural mechanisms of learning multiple tasks. By examination of cognitive and behavioral output during the performance and learning of several computer maze tasks, and through a detailed examination of the neural activity obtained from functional near-infrared (fNIR) and electroencephalography (EEG), it may be possible to gain insight into the impact of the amount of practice and the organization of practice has on learning fine motor skills. This insight may provide direction as to how to better develop instructional and rehabilitation protocols in addition to clinical interventions to facilitate recovery of function, relearning and transfer of cognitive and fine motor skills based upon neural responses to physical practice.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy Individuals; Learning
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Practice Order

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 20
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19102
      • Cognitive Motor Movement Neuroscience Lab (CoMMoNS) - rm 3612 NCB, Drexel University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 55 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 to 55 years of age
• vision correctable to 20/20
• right-handed
• English is first language or learned English before age of 5 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• 17 years or younger and 56 years or older
• pregnant
• have latex or tape adhesives allergies
• self-exclude if:
• had a history of seizures, head injury or neurological dysfunction
• history or diagnosis of depression, schizophrenia or social phobia
• previous admission to alcohol/drug treatment program or diagnosis of alcohol/drug abuse
• take medications know to affect neurological function.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Practice Schedules; Subjects are randomly assigned to either a blocked or random practice schedule when learning three 3-D computer mazes. A blocked practice schedule is created when the tasks to be learned are presented in a predictable order, while a random practice schedule has tasks presented in a nonsequential, unpredictable order. Neural activity and behavioral measures will differ for the two practice schedules. For memory and transfer, it is predicted that random practice will be better than blocked practice.

Behavioral: Practice Order; Blocked order - predictable Random order - unpredictable; Other Names: High contextual interference - random practice schedule; Low contextual interference - blocked practice schedule

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
metabolic measures of neural activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex	Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIR) uses specific wavelets of light, that are introduced at the scalp to measure changes in the relative ratios of deoxygenated hemoglobin and oxygenated hemoglobin in the capillary beds during brain activity.	outcomes measured 72 - 96 hours post-training

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Behavioral measures	maze behavioral responses of time to traverse the maze (sec), distance traveled (pixels)and average maze velocity (pixels/sec) are calculated.	measured 72-96 hours post training

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Drexel University
• Collaborators: Pennsylvania Department of Health
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Patricia A Shewokis, PhD, Drexel University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Ayaz H, Shewokis PA, Curtin A, Izzetoglu M, Izzetoglu K, Onaral B. Using MazeSuite and functional near infrared spectroscopy to study learning in spatial navigation. J Vis Exp. 2011 Oct 8;(56):3443. doi: 10.3791/3443.
• Shewokis PA, Ayaz H, Izzetoglu M, Bunce S, Gentili RJ, Sela I, Izzetoglu K, Onaral B. Brain in the Loop: Assessing Learning using fNIR in cognitive and motor tasks. D.D. Schmorrow and C.M. Fidopiastis (Eds.).Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence, 6780: 240-249. 2011. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011.
• Shewokis PA, Ayaz H, Izzetoglu K, Izzetoglu M, Bunce SC, Schultheis MT, Pourrezaei K. Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity during the learning of computer tasks in a contextual interference paradigm using fNIRs: a case series. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology 30: S130. 2008.
• Shewokis PA, Ayaz H, Izzetoglu M, Getchell N, Izzetoglu K. the acquisition and learning of computer tasks in a contextual interference paradigm: Using functional near infrared spectroscopy to examine prefrontal cortex activity. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology. 32: S127-S128. 2010.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: November 1, 2007
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2010
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 27, 2010
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 1, 2010
• First Posted (Estimate): June 2, 2010

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): November 6, 2011
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 4, 2011
• Last Verified: May 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: repeated measures design; random assignment to groups
• Other Study ID Numbers: 16758