Electroencephalography Pattern Variations During Motor Skill Acquisition

The present study examined how motor skill acquisition affects electroencephalography patterns and compared short- and long-term electroencephalography variations. For this purpose, 17 volunteers with no history of disease, aged 18 to 22 years, attended seven training sessions every other day to practice a pursuit tracking motor skill. Electroencephalography brainwaves were recorded and analyzed on the first and last days within pre- and post-training intervals. The results showed a significant decrease in performance error and variability with practice over time. This progress slowed at the end of training, and there was no significant improvement in individual performance at the last session. In accordance with performance variations, some changes occurred in brainwaves. Specifically, theta power at Fz and alpha power at Cz increased on the last test day, compared with the first, while the coherence of alpha at Fz-T3 and Fz-Cz decreased. beta Coherence between Fz-Cz was significantly reduced from pre- to posttest. Based on these results, power changes seem to be more affected by long-term training, whereas coherence changes are sensitive to both short- and long-term training. Specifically, beta coherence at Fz-Cz was more influenced by short-term effects of training, whereas theta power at Fz, alpha power at Cz, and alpha coherence at Fz-T3 and Fz-Cz were affected by longer training.