A clinical examination of OPTIMAL theory application in people with multiple sclerosis: a proof-of-concept study and implications for rehabilitation practice.

We investigated the potential to improve motor learning and performance in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) with OPTIMAL theory conditions. OPTIMAL theory predicts that three main factors [i.e.

Essential Role of Social Context and Self-Efficacy in Daily Paretic Arm/Hand Use After Stroke: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study With Accelerometry.

Objective: To determine the momentary effect of social-cognitive factors, in addition to motor capability, on post-stroke paretic arm/hand use in the natural environment.

Design: A 5-day observational study in which participants were sent 6 Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) prompts/day.

Setting: Participants' daily environment.

Different Patterns of Neural Activity Characterize Motor Skill Performance During Acquisition and Retention.

Motor performance and learning have distinct behavioral and neural signatures and can be uniquely modulated by various informational and motivational factors. Contemporary frameworks describe four different motor learning mechanisms mapped onto specific neural regions which are key for motor skill acquisition: error-based learning (cerebellum), reinforcement learning (basal ganglia), cognitive strategies (prefrontal cortex), and use-dependent learning (motor cortex). However, little is known about the neural circuits engaged during skill acquisition that are modulated specifically by practice-based performance improvement and those that predict recall performance.

Superiority of external attentional focus for motor performance and learning: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Considerable literature on the role of attentional focus in motor performance and learning has accumulated for over two decades. We report the results of comprehensive meta-analyses that address the impact of an external focus (EF, on intended movement effects) versus internal focus (IF, on movements of body parts) of attention on the performance and learning of motor skills. Values of effect sizes (ES) from 73 studies with 1,824 participants and 40 studies with 1,274 participants were used for examining the effects of EF versus IF on behavioral outcomes of motor performance and learning (separately for retention and transfer phases) respectively.

A Novel Combination of Accelerometry and Ecological Momentary Assessment for Post-Stroke Paretic Arm/Hand Use: Feasibility and Validity.

Use of the paretic arm and hand is a key indicator of recovery and reintegration after stroke. A sound methodology is essential to comprehensively identify the possible factors impacting daily arm/hand use behavior. We combined ecological momentary assessment (EMA), a prompt methodology capturing real-time psycho-contextual factors, with accelerometry to investigate arm/hand behavior in the natural environment.