Developmental change in predictive motor abilities

Se-Woong Park; Annie Cardinaux; Dena Crozier; Marta Russo; Margaret Kjelgaard; Pawan Sinha; Dagmar Sternad

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.106038

Developmental change in predictive motor abilities

iScience. 2023 Jan 25;26(2):106038. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106038. eCollection 2023 Feb 17.

Authors

Se-Woong Park^{1

2

3}, Annie Cardinaux³, Dena Crozier^{2

4

5}, Marta Russo^{6

7}, Margaret Kjelgaard⁸, Pawan Sinha³, Dagmar Sternad^{2

4

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Kinesiology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA.
² Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
³ Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
⁴ Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
⁵ Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
⁶ Department of Neurology, Tor Vergata Polyclinc, Rome, Italy.
⁷ Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
⁸ Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, MA 02325, USA.
⁹ Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Abstract

Prediction is critical for successful interactions with a dynamic environment. To test the development of predictive processes over the life span, we designed a suite of interceptive tasks implemented as interactive video games. Four tasks involving interactions with a flying ball with titrated challenge quantified spatiotemporal aspects of prediction. For comparison, reaction time was assessed in a matching task. The experiments were conducted in a museum, where over 400 visitors across all ages participated, and in a laboratory with a focused age group. Results consistently showed that predictive ability improved with age to reach adult level by age 12. In contrast, reaction time continued to decrease into late adolescence. Inter-task correlations revealed that the tasks tested different aspects of predictive processes. This developmental progression complements recent findings on cerebellar and cortical maturation. Additionally, these results can serve as normative data to study predictive processes in individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions.

Keywords: Biological sciences; Developmental neuroscience; Neuroscience.

Grants and funding

R37 HD087089/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States