Neuroscience
-
Recent studies using genomic and functional approaches in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster have revealed the effects of viral infection on nervous system homeostasis. An established connection between viral infection and brain function is critical due to its significant contribution to several areas of biomedical research, particularly the molecular pathogenesis of neurotropic viruses, the neurobiology of viral disease, and understanding the genetic basis and pathophysiology of viral tropism.
-
Physical practice (PP) and motor imagery practice (MP) lead to the execution of fast and accurate arm movements. However, there is currently no information about the influence of MP on movement smoothness, nor about which performance parameters best discriminate these practices. In the current study, we assessed motor performances with an arm pointing task with constrained precision before and after PP (n = 15), MP (n = 15), or no practice (n = 15). ⋯ A discriminant analysis also identified the number of velocity peaks as the most relevant parameter that differentiated PP from MP. The current results provide evidence that PP and MP specifically modulate movement smoothness during arm reaching tasks. This difference may rely on online corrections through sensory feedback integration, available during PP but not during MP.