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My experience in brain cognitive research for summer minority high school students. Ron Hu, M.D. Johnson Foundation Summer Research Program ‘01. Summer 2001. Summer Program. Summer Program. Picture. The Knot Tying Experiment. Tests how brain engages in motor learning
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My experience in brain cognitive research for summer minority high school students Ron Hu, M.D. Johnson Foundation Summer Research Program ‘01
Summer Program • Picture
The Knot Tying Experiment • Tests how brain engages in motor learning • Subjects learn two sailor’s knots • Brain oxygenation and performance data gathered Clove hitch Bowline
Hypotheses • The prefrontal cortex is involved in learning motor function • An imagery period will enhance the performance of subjects • Repetition learning in the subjects will subsequently decrease brain activation.
Methods • 18 subjects randomly split into two groups • Exp group asked to imagine tying knot before trial • Control group had rest period before trial • Each subject tested 4 times with at least one day between each test • Performance was compared Control Experimental
Oxygenation Prefrontal cortex Pre-frontal cortex activation was associated with imagining and actual knot-tying
Best Performer Baseline Video Imagery Trial
Worst performer Baseline Video Imagery Trial
Performance Imagery period did not improve performance in our subjects
Repetition learning Learning did occur as subjects gained experience in tying the knots, and the overall activation decreased
The future Thank you! Prefrontal Cortex