Results concerning the association of chronic physical activity and motor performance are mixed and seem to be influenced by the study design , kind of exercise , motor task , and exercise intensity .
Regarding motor learning , a high physical activity or cardiovascular fitness level seems to boost the initial phase of motor learning ; results differ with respect to motor retention .
Overall , ( motor-coordinative ) intervention studies seem to be more promising than cross-sectional studies
Upper extremity motor performance declines with increasing age .
However , older adults need to maintain , learn new and relearn known motor tasks .
Research with young adults indicated that regular and acute physical activity might facilitate motor performance and motor learning processes .
Therefore , this review aim ed to examine the association between chronic physical activity and acute bouts of exercise on motor performance and motor learning in upper extremity motor tasks in older adults .
Hippocampal contribution to early and later stages of implicit motor sequence learning
Implicit motor sequence learning refers to an important human ability to acquire new motor skills through the repeated performance of a motor sequence . This learning process is characterized by slow , incremental gains of motor performance . The present fMRI study was developed to better delineate the areas supporting these temporal dynamics of learning . By using the serial color matching paradigm , our study focused on the motor level of sequence learning and tracked the time course of learning-related neural changes . Imaging results showed a significant contribution of the left anterior hippocampus in an early sequence acquisition stage ( first scanning session ) as well as during a later stage with stabilized learning effects ( second scanning session ) . Hippocampal activation significantly correlated with the behavioral learning process and was affected by a change of the motor sequence . These results suggest a strong involvement of the hippocampus in implicit motor sequence learning . On the other h and , a very extensive and bilateral neural network of parietal , temporal and frontal cortical areas ( including SMA , pre-SMA ) together with parts of the cerebellum and striatum were found to play a role during r and om visuo-motor task performance
Results concerning the association of chronic physical activity and motor performance are mixed and seem to be influenced by the study design , kind of exercise , motor task , and exercise intensity .
Regarding motor learning , a high physical activity or cardiovascular fitness level seems to boost the initial phase of motor learning ; results differ with respect to motor retention .
Overall , ( motor-coordinative ) intervention studies seem to be more promising than cross-sectional studies
Upper extremity motor performance declines with increasing age .
However , older adults need to maintain , learn new and relearn known motor tasks .
Research with young adults indicated that regular and acute physical activity might facilitate motor performance and motor learning processes .
Therefore , this review aim ed to examine the association between chronic physical activity and acute bouts of exercise on motor performance and motor learning in upper extremity motor tasks in older adults .