Behavioural brain research
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Comparative Study
Characterization of motor skill and instrumental learning time scales in a skilled reaching task in rat.
Successful motor skill learning requires repetitive training interrupted by rest periods. In humans, improvement occurs within and between training sessions reflecting fast and slow components of motor learning [Karni A, Meyer G, Rey-Hipolito C, Jezzard P, Adams MM, Turner R, et al. The acquisition of skilled motor performance: fast and slow experience-driven changes in primary motor cortex. ⋯ Learning curves of individual animals were highly variable. These findings confirm in rat that motor skill learning has fast and slow components. No within-session improvement is seen in instrumental learning.