How are precise micro-motor movements executed by the CNS to perform complex bimanual tasks in a virtual environment?
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation Science
Abstract
The dynamic use of computer interfaces by humans poses a new challenge to the brains of many billions of humans around the world. How does the brain and muscular-skeletal system adapt to these challenges? How can we train our brains to perform better, especially under immense pressure? Esports offers a perfect platform to study how the brain changes through training to integrate visual and motor information, which commands muscular afferents to produce precise goal-directed micro-motor movements. To understand this phenomenon, participants will perform a series of psychophysics tasks (visual and then visuo-motor) and then compete in a newly designed aim-training video game. Multiple techniques will be used to capture different aspects of the behaviour. Specifically, EEG to understand system-level changes to motor commands brought about by changing visual information, EMG of lower-forelimb and wrist muscles to capture the electrophysiology of the motor outputs, motion-capture of lower-forelimb movement behaviour, eye-tracking to understand eye-movement behaviour representing what information is being attended to and encoded, and finally task performance (e.g pursuit trajectory accuracy and deviation-from-target). When all the data sources are integrated the most holistic understanding of complex bimanual goal-directed tasks performance will have been produced and a novel paradigm developed to study the brain operations during elite competition. This has wide-reaching implications in neuroscience but especially regarding adaptive neurophysiology and bimanual sport performance.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Mike Winstanley (Student) |
Studentship Projects
Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BB/M01116X/1 | 30/09/2015 | 31/03/2024 | |||
2266977 | Studentship | BB/M01116X/1 | 29/09/2019 | 29/03/2024 | Mike Winstanley |