Keynote speakers

Role of the Hippocampus in Wake- and Sleep-Related Motor Memory Consolidation

Memory in humans has historically been divided into anatomically and functionally distinct systems. However, there is increasing evidence that these memory systems recruit overlapping brain areas. For example, previous research from our group indicates that the hippocampus - a brain structure traditionally associated to declarative memory - plays a critical role in procedural (motor) memory. However, the functional significance of these hippocampal responses remains poorly understood. The goal of this presentation is therefore to shed light on the role of the hippocampus in procedural motor learning and memory consolidation over short (i.e., rest periods lasting several seconds between bouts of practice) and long timescales (i.e., hours between training sessions). I will first present multivariate pattern analyses of fMRI data showing that the hippocampus binds movements to their temporal position during motor sequence learning (MSL). I will then outline how hippocampal multivoxel fMRI patterns related to MSL persist over short and longer timescales during awake rest and how these patterns can be modulated by experimental interventions. This presentation should therefore provide new insights into the role of the hippocampus in motor memory, a topic that has received limited attention in the learning and memory field.

Stimulating the Mind: Non-Invasive Neuromodulation to enhance Motor and Cognitive Functions

Sensorimotor skill learning outside the body

Motor augmentation devices, such as supernumerary robotic limbs, promise to enhance human motor capabilities, but their success hinges on users’ ability to generalise learned skills across tasks and contexts. We trained participants over multiple time scales to use an extra robotic thumb (Third Thumb, Dani Clode Design), worn on the right hand and controlled via the toes.

Participants demonstrated broad somatosensory and motor skills and were able to generalise their skill across tasks, body postures, and even when either the actuator or controller was remapped to a different body part, suggesting the development of flexible, effector-independent motor representations.

Furthermore, participants showed reduced cognitive demands and an increased sense of agency and somatosensory embodiment over the device, which also associated with neural embodiment of the device in primary somatosensory cortex. Despite substantial learning, generalisation, and increased embodiment, participants did not preferentially choose to use the Third Thumb when given the option during free-choice tasks.

These findings suggest that neither extensive generalisation nor embodiment alone are sufficient for widespread adoption of augmentation technologies, highlighting the importance of human factors in their real-world integration.

Task-specific dystonia is a movement disorder characterised by a painless, selective loss of motor control during the performance of a highly practised skill.  This disorder is prevalent among writers, musicians, dancers, and athletes, and can often end the careers of affected individuals. Conventional disease models of dystonia fall short in explaining task-specific dystonia.

In this talk, I will present emerging evidence that task-specific dystonia arises from maladaptive engagement of compensatory mechanisms within an otherwise healthy motor system.  I will detail how risk factors for task-specific dystonia can be stratified and mapped onto mechanisms of dysfunctional motor control, disrupting the representation and reproduction of skilled movement. Finally, I will highlight novel therapeutic avenues informed by this framework with a focus on motor retraining paradigms.