Enhanced cognitive performance after multiple adaptations to visuomotor transformations

Abstract

Several studies reported that adaptation to a visuomotor transformation correlates with the performance in cognitive performance tests. However, it is unclear whether there is a causal relationship between sensorimotor adaptation and cognitive performance. The present study examined whether repeated adaptations to double steps and rotated feedback increase cognitive performance assessed by neuropsychological tests in a pre-post design. The participants of the intervention group adapted in 24 sessions their hand movements to visuomotor transformations with increasing size. Pre-post changes were significantly larger in the intervention group than in a control group without training. This result suggests a causal relationship between sensorimotor adaptation training and cognitive performance.